Unforgettable
by becnextdoor
Summary: What if Klaus and Caroline had a history that nobody knew about? What if Klaus made her forget all about the love they once shared for each other? This is the story of Klaus compelling Caroline to forget about the love she had for him, as he thinks it is the right thing to do for her. But what if that love was unforgettable? And what happens when Caroline starts to remember?
1. Chapter 1

He couldn't tell her.

It had been such a long time ago that they had met…

So many memories, so many moments.

Klaus paced in front of his fireplace in the early morning, resting his fist against his chin, going over and over the speech he had prepared for Caroline.

Everybody knew he was leaving and nobody even seemed to care. Caroline didn't even care. What did he expect? That Caroline would break down and cry when she found out he was leaving? Of course she'd be happy to see him go! She has no idea of the moments they spent together, which was his fault and his choice.

He had made her forget. He made her forget all the moments and the love they shared for each other; the touch of his hand and the kiss of his lips. He made her forget it all.

Klaus was always used to being alone. All through the thousands years he'd been alive, he'd been alone. Of course he was never physically alone. A family who promises to be there for each other 'always and forever,' are harder to get rid of than one might think and although Rebekah and Elijah were his closest companions, he was alone in his heart. Nobody could connect to him. Nobody around him was like him. Half vampire/half wolf meant that he didn't belong anywhere. He was like no one else and unlike everybody. A solitary life for Klaus suited him well, after the first few hundred years he grew better and better at being alone and now at one thousand years old he likened himself to being the lone wolf.

So when he fell in love with Caroline and when she loved him in return. He knew he had to let her go. They were together nearly two years. They had spent countless hours in each others arms. They had had their ups and downs as any normal relationship, but they loved each other with every nerve in their body. Klaus could still taste her lips, could still feel the silkiness of her touch and could still remember the smell of her hair.

His heart told him to keep her by his side, to live a long and happy life with her… But his mind told him that he was never made to love anybody, that he was never made to be a protector for people other than himself and he was never made to be loved. He was made to be lonely.  
So, he compelled her to forget about the love they shared and to forget about each moment they shared. He compelled her to forget two months ago, but he can still remember the exact second in which he did it.

* * *

"Nik?" Caroline giggles as she searches the Mikaelson mansion for Klaus, skipping up the stairs and turning the corner to look down the long corridor. That was one of the last times she called him Nik, a name only used by those who loved him.

"Caroline" Klaus says gravely, appearing behind her and placing a hand on her arm, relishing in the last gentle touch of her skin.

Caroline whips around with her light blue eyes sparkling into his own, and a big smile plastered on her perfectly porcelain face. But as soon as she notices his appearance, her smile drops and her eyes become worried, searching his face for answers. Klaus was grave and stern and Caroline could notice in his eyes a fear and a coldness she rarely ever saw.

"Nik, what's wrong? Are you hurt? What's happened?" Caroline persists, as she runs her hands over his face and wipes away the tears, now falling slowly from his eyes.

"I'm so sorry Caroline. I'm so sorry" Klaus whispers as he takes her hands in his own, and lowers them away from his face.

"Nik, you're scaring me, please, what's going on?" Caroline cries, water forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Caroline" Klaus calmly says as he stares deep into her anxious, blue eyes,

"You will forget all the love you feel for me and all the moments we shared together in love. From this point on you will look at me with the same feelings as you had when we first knew each other. You will look at me as the man that killed Jenna and destroyed Elena's life. You will no longer care about me, and you will no longer love me."

Klaus only manages to choke out his last few words as he grasps her mind in his hands.

"I don't love you, Klaus" Caroline calmly says as she stares back into his eyes.

Klaus winces at her words, and more tears start to fall, only this time Caroline doesn't dry them away, she simply stares back, still under the compulsion of him.

"You came here looking for Elena, she isn't here, so you have to leave. You never saw me here and you won't remember this conversation." Klaus mutters as he leans in to kiss her cheek one last time. She closes her eyes as he does so, but when she opens them once more, Klaus isn't anywhere to be seen.

Caroline looks around the corridor once more, now believing she came for Elena and walks down the stairs and out the front door, not once looking behind, for if she did, she would have seen Klaus at the top of the stairs, restraining himself from running after her.

* * *

Klaus slams his fist against the wall next to the fireplace. He hated himself for what he had done. He had to keep telling himself that he done the right thing. Not only for himself but for Caroline. She deserved so much more than him, he was the villain and she needed the hero. And despite the undying love he felt for her, he knew it would fade in time and after this was over and a good man loved Caroline, he could live happily again.  
That was always as he had known love to be. If you love something enough, you have to let it go. Rebekah was always the romantic of the family and she was always the one to lecture Elijah and Klaus about the depth and the wonders of the human emotion love. Perhaps she was so obsessed with it because it was the closest she could ever come to love. But she seemed to know everything about it and she taught him so much about love that now he was sure this was what he was supposed to do.

Klaus walked out of the house and into the car with all his packed belongings. New Orleans didn't seem right for him and as he turned around to look at the house for the last time for a while, he sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He was so torn. He wanted to stay, but knew he had to leave… for the sake of Caroline. For the sake of Caroline. For the sake of Caroline.

He planned to stop by Caroline's' home and say a last goodbye. There was no way he was going to compel her to remember. He couldn't. He had no idea how she was going to react. What if she remembered all of the moments they shared together and still loved him even after the compulsion? He could never leave her side again… and Klaus feared that being unable to live alone would mean the death of him.

No. Definitely not. It would be a simple 'goodbye,' something that would mean nothing to Caroline, but would mean properly letting go for himself. At least, that was the plan.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey Guys! Hope you like this next chapter. I know there's a huge difference between lengths in chapters. I'm actually trying to experiment with different lengths. See how it goes. Thanks for reading! Please leave reviews! Constructive criticism is welcomed!

If you have another story arc, maybe another pairing you had in mind that you me want to add in to the fanfic let me know!

At this point I'm thinking Kelijah? Thoughts?

* * *

Caroline sat alone in her room, slowly flipping through an album of photos from her senior prom, 3 months ago. One page after another she saw photos of herself, Elena, Bonnie, Matt, Stefan and Damon and smiled remembering how long they had all known each other, except of course for Stefan and Damon. She smirks as she sees a photo of Elena, Bonnie and herself all laughing at a table and despite all the history and _issues _that had arisen between their friendships, she loved them all so much. Caroline slowly runs a finger over the edge of the photo, thinking about how things used to be with Elena and Bonnie, and how they weren't nearly as close as they used to be now, but then something in the corner of the book catches her eye… The book's page had been stuck to another page behind it. Caroline flips the page and sighs as she realizes that she had missed out on two whole pages of photos because some idiot had stuck the two together.

_Dammit_. She thinks to herself as she walks to the kitchen to get a pocketknife.

But as she searches her kitchen she hears a faint whistle of air and before she can even properly straighten up, Klaus is standing in front of her, with a smug smile on his lips.

"Seriously?!" Caroline breathes as she glares back at Klaus. "I know you've been around for a while, Klaus… but there's a certain thing called knocking in this century."

"Come now Caroline, we both know that if I knocked you wouldn't have let me in." Klaus smirks back at her, taking a few slow strides towards her.

"With good reason. You've ruined my best friends life, Klaus!" Caroline reacts by taking a few steps back but hitting herself against the kitchen bench, cornering herself in her own home.

_Shit Caroline. Stop making yourself look weak in front of him. _Caroline tells herself and takes a step towards Klaus and crosses her arms across her chest.

"What do you want?" Caroline says, perhaps with more irritation than she had planned.

"I just came to say goodbye, Caroline." Klaus subtly clenches his fists as he says the words. "I'll be gone for a while and I thought I should at least give you a goodbye."

"You don't need to say goodbye. I knew you were leaving…" Caroline says, dropping her eyes from his to stare at her hand because he was gazing at her so intensely. She wasn't scared, no, it was something different. She felt… nervous?

"I have enjoyed your company the last two years I have been in Mystic Falls, Caroline. You are quite an extraordinary vampire." Klaus honestly says. He watches Caroline as she squirms uncomfortably at his compliments.

Once Caroline's eyes find his once more she can't think straight, let alone think of a reply. They were only a step apart from one another and the closeness of Klaus to her own body made her feel strange. She didn't hate it… and she was so confused as to why not.

"Well." Klaus stifles a sigh. "Goodbye… Caroline."

Caroline gasps and quickly looks up to see Klaus staring back at her, a hint of sadness gleaming in his eyes. He slightly cocks his head to one side puzzled at her gasp, but before Caroline could explain herself, Klaus was gone.

_The way he said my name. That was so familiar. I reacted like that before I even thought about it. It's like my body suddenly remembered something, something bad. The graveness, the coldness… Where is that from? The way he said my name was from a vivid memory… but… I can't remember it… _

Caroline rests her hand on the kitchen bench and absentmindedly runs her other hand gently across her lips, down her neck and to the side of her neck. Gently rubbing her palm slowly against her skin and searching her memory for the answer she knew she couldn't find.

* * *

Klaus sped away in his black Audi, tapping his forefingers on the steering wheel and seething over his last encounter. She had reacted in the exact way he had thought she would, and even though he tried to prepare himself for her taciturnity, he still couldn't bear it. The way Caroline called him 'Klaus' set his teeth on edge. The name Klaus was the name that had always been infamous throughout his life. 'Klaus' was the man that killed thousands of people and had been simply a legend, a myth, even a fairytale throughout the world. But the man who he was with Caroline, was Nik; the man who would do anything to protect his own and the man who could love and be happy.

But despite all he thought about her coolness towards him, he couldn't help but be interested in the last few seconds of her company. She looked so shocked when he had said her name for the last time. Her eyes were glazed over, almost like madness in her eyes. But even more than that… she looked so worried. Like she had just heard somebody she loved was in danger.

Klaus remembered where he had seen her face like that before…

He was telling her that he was sorry, right before he compelled her to forget about him.

_Shit._

Surely his compulsion had worked perfectly. He was the most powerful being in the world, so how is it even remotely possible that she remembered something?

Klaus slams on his car brakes and veers off to the dirt side of the road.

This was the first time Klaus was ever completely confused as to what to do. He was supposed to be meeting Elijah and Rebekah in an hour, and yet he didn't know if he had the willpower to leave Caroline.

* * *

"Where is he?!" Rebekah sighs, glaring at Elijah's turned back for answers.

"Calm Rebekah, I am sure Niklaus is on his way. It is harder for him to leave than the two of us…" Elijah replies, turning around to meet Rebekah's eyes.

"He's late. How long does he expect us to wait in this filthy place?" Rebekah demands, looking around Niklaus's meeting place, an abandoned dusty car park.

"Patience is a virtue." Elijah purrs while he walks across the large floor, his Italian leather shoes tapping gently on the ground, creating echo's throughout the building.

Only a frustrated sigh is Rebekah's reply and Elijah continues to walk further away from her, curious to look around the area.

But as he walks further away, he knows something isn't right…

Rebekah and himself were not the only ones in the building, and just as he thinks it, he hears something crash into the concrete floor back where Rebekah was standing.

Elijah speeds back to the scene to find Tyler Lockwood lying on his back on the ground, a shocked look on his face and Rebekah's leg resting on his chest, her high heel digging into his skin and her seething down at him.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?!" Rebekah looms over him, pushing her heel further into his skin.

Tyler winces from her heel but only squirms under her incredible strength, refusing to reply to her question. Elijah simply watches idly by, staring at the scene before him with an amused trail of a smirk across his lips.

"You should know better than to sneak up on a vampire," Rebekah threatens, once again pushing harder. "Now, I asked a question."

Rebekah moves her heel from the middle of his chest to just above his heart.

"I couldn't care less about you Tyler, answer my question or never see the light of day again."

"I'm looking for Klaus." Tyler spits back at Rebekah, still trying to maneuver himself out of Rebekah's strong hold.

Rebekah pushes harder against Tyler's heart and it's obvious that the explanation he gave wasn't detailed enough.

"I'm not the only one who wants Klaus gone." Tyler tries to say, but finds it hard under the pain of the pressure on his heart. "I came to find out if you're leaving for good, and whether you three will leave our town in peace."

"Peace?!" Rebekah scoffs. "Good luck with that. As for my brother, you try to kill him and you will have hell to pay, and when I say hell, I mean hell."

Rebekah pushes her heel even harder and nearly pierces his skin before Elijah steps in.

"I think Tyler does not realize how deep he has gotten into the affairs of the originals, sister. If I were you, Tyler, I'd leave now, and never bother Klaus or us again. You don't seem to realize that my sister could have killed you the second you snuck up on her. My brother's actions or whereabouts don't concern you anymore, so leave." Elijah calmly states, sternly glaring at Tyler's pained, but stubborn face.

Rebekah loosens her hold on Tyler just enough for him to scramble up and stand a few meters away from the siblings.

"I swear to you, boy, meddle in our business again and you will receive a much harder punishment than a heel in your chest." Rebekah yells at Tyler, as he starts to slowly back away.

"I'm not done yet. When you see Klaus, tell him thanks for giving me what I've desired for so long. Tell him that I'll greatly enjoy it, or should I say her." Tyler smirks as he backs away, hands up in front of his body.

A few minutes after Tyler's departure, Klaus drives into the car park and steps out to see two very angry originals.

"Sorry I'm late. Something came up." Klaus lies as he walks up to them. Smirking at the same old Rebekah who always looks as if she's ready to strangle somebody.

"You missed the show, Niklaus." Elijah says as he put his hand up against his back. "Tyler Lockwood just tried to sneak up on us to kill you. He wanted me to tell you that he will greatly enjoy what you've left him. Any ideas on what that means?"

Klaus's face drops as he hears what Elijah has to say.

"Naturally we threatened him, but I am worried something is coming after you Nik, just be careful in your future dealings." Elijah warns Klaus, but as he's talking Klaus's mind is back with Caroline.

He hadn't gone back to her.

He didn't know what he was going to say.

He was only late because he had sat in his car for so long trying to decide what to do. He finally came to the decision that he was past the point of no return for leaving Mystic Falls and Elijah and Rebekah would simply not allow him to abandon all their plans now.

But now Klaus couldn't stop thinking about Tyler.

Tyler knew about Caroline and Klaus and their relationship, and now he knows that Klaus is leaving for a long time.

Klaus hadn't even thought about the aspect of Tyler now going for Caroline and now he hated himself for not thinking about it sooner.

Tyler always had a thing for Caroline, but Tyler didn't deserve her. Nobody deserved her.

_Oh God. _ _What am I going to do? Tyler could hurt her._

_But I might hurt her more._

* * *

Caroline walks back to her room after calming herself down from Klaus's interaction. She picks up the scrapbook and starts to slowly cut away the joints of the pages that had been stuck together. A few minutes later she was standing beside her bed, prying open the two pages when they finally come apart.

"What!?" Caroline gasps and drops the book on her bed and she takes a few steps back with one hand on her mouth and another grasping her stomach.

Those two pages. The two pages she had missed out on. They were all pictures of Klaus and herself dancing and laughing together at the prom. There were at least 15 or so pictures. They weren't set out like the rest of the book; they just looked like somebody had stuffed all the pictures in there together.  
_What is going on? _She thought to herself as she tried to search her mind for the night in which she found the ability to not completely despise Klaus.

She couldn't remember this at all, no matter how hard she tried.

After coming down from the first shock of seeing those pictures, she found the courage to look at the pictures hiding behind others in the book.

A few minutes later, after looking at more and more pictures of the two of them together and Caroline pondering over how drunk she must have been, she found a picture that made her feel sick to her stomach.

Klaus and her were dancing together outside in private, their bodies were so close… but… the two of them they were, they were kissing.

A tiny shriek escaped her mouth as she stared at the picture.

_Oh my god. What have I done? Klaus?! Out of all people, Klaus!? HE had to be the guy that my drunk self was drawn to? _

_I remember every single moment of prom besides all the moments that I spent with Klaus. _

_Why cant I remember? _


	3. Chapter 3

Hi again guys! I'm having some characters introduced into the story that are supposed to be dead in the tv plot. Oh well. They're alive and well in this fanfic! I'm starting the second pairing/story arc in this chapter! Enjoy, and leave some reviews!

* * *

It's Klaus's first night in New Orleans. Rebekah, Elijah and himself were all staying in an apartment together. It was on a main road of the city and right in the middle of all the culture and revelry of New Orleans.

He had forgotten how much he loved the town and he lay in his bed listening to the music, the ongoing chatter and partying outside in the streets. The sound slowly started to quiet and he found himself so at peace that he fell asleep.

'_Nik!' _Caroline's shriek filled the room, screaming his name like he had never heard before… a high pitched, frightened voice, as fragile as a birds.

Klaus's eyes opened immediately to her screams and jumped out of bed to see Caroline Forbes standing outside his door.

She was nearly falling over, clenching her heart with one of her hands, and using her other hand to hold on to the doorframe.

"You compelled me! I remember it all Nik. How we loved each other, how you could so easily throw that love away! I needed you so much, Nik."Caroline screamed, nearly collapsing from exhaustion.

"I'm so sorry Caroline. I'm so, so, sorry. I didn't know what to do." Klaus cried, running to the doorframe to catch her.

But just as he reached the door an invisible force wouldn't let him pass through the doorframe to get to Caroline, the same force which acted when vampires weren't invited into homes.

"Caroline! What's going on? I can't get through the door, Caroline!" Klaus growled as he pushed up against the force, trying with all his strength to reach her.

"Nik, I can't breathe." Caroline screamed as she tried to come through the doorframe to reach him. "Help me, Nik, I.. can't…I can't breathe!" She screamed even louder now, tears rushing down her face as she clutched her throat, gasping for the air that her body wouldn't accept.

Klaus watched in horror as Caroline started to slowly sink down to the ground, as she wheezed and tried to breathe, her skin turning grey and her veins cracking over her face.

"No, Caroline, No, No, No!" Klaus screamed in vain as he sank to the ground himself.

"No!" Klaus shouted, his eyes flying open from his nightmare. Klaus sat up straight away and searched around his room, the music and chatter once again fading back into his environment as he breathed heavily, still shocked from his vividly, horrifying nightmare. It looked like it was only midnight. _It was only a dream, calm down. Caroline is okay. _Klaus tried to reassure himself as he rubbed his eyes and face clear of the cold sweat he had made in his dream. He leant back on the wall behind his bed, shutting his eyes and slowing his breathing, trying to persuade himself that Caroline was okay.

"For the most powerful creature on earth, it really is too easy to get inside your head." Kol laughed, appearing on the edge of the bed, a menacing smirk plastered across his face.

So that was the cause of Klaus's nightmare, Kol had gotten inside his head and made it for him.

Klaus leaped across the length of the bed with the plan to kill Kol, but he was fast enough to be on the other side of the room when Klaus reached the place he was formerly sitting.

Kol simply shook his head and laughed.

"You're a dead man, brother." Klaus growled, standing up off the bed and walking towards Kol, his eyes glowing yellow with anger.

"What are you going to do?" Kol laughed, taking a step forward to meet Klaus. "Stake me again? You know, that didn't really work out too well for you last time did it?"

Klaus couldn't think of a reply, and only glared back at Kol, tilting his head slightly to the side, shocked and angry at his brother's behavior.

"How do you know about Caroline?" Klaus snarled at Kol, taking more steps towards his brother so that their faces were only centimeters apart. After a few seconds of Kol refusing to reply, Klaus slammed Kol into the wall behind him.

"How do you know about Caroline?" Klaus now yelled, pinning Kol hard into the wall.

"I told him." Rebekah appeared at the doorway, folding her arms across her chest.

Klaus stifled a sigh and drops his arms from Kol's shoulders.

"Geez." Rebekah said as she walked over to her brothers. "Kol, don't be an idiot."

Rebekah looked to Kol and scowled at him before turning to Klaus.

"I told him half a year ago." Rebekah said, guiltily.

"Trouble in paradise?" Kol mocked and Klaus turned back towards him, ready to pounce.

"Shut up, Kol." Rebekah sighed and turned towards Kol, motioning for him to leave.

As Kol walked out, Klaus yelled after him.

"You try to get into my head again, little brother, and I will rip your heart out of your chest without a seconds thought."

Rebekah now turned back to Klaus, a hint of pity gleaming in her eyes.

"Elijah sent me to give you this." Rebekah said as she handed Klaus an envelope. "Elijah is going away for a few days, who knows what he's doing." Rebekah smirked as she said that last sentence, but the smile didn't reach her eyes and she searched Klaus's face, seeing only anger and sadness upon it.

Rebekah shuffled and composed herself after staring at her big brother for perhaps a little too long.

"I'll go." She muttered and smiled, and left Klaus alone in his room.

Rebekah loved her brother unconditionally and although their disagreements had been often and vicious, she could only feel pity for him now. She watched in awe as her brother grew happier in the company of Caroline and despite how she never could fully approve of her, Rebekah knew that Caroline made Klaus a better person. But now, Klaus was not even half the person he used to be. He was depressed, angry and violent and Rebekah could do nothing about it…

* * *

Elijah sped through the outskirts of New Orleans in his Mercedes-benz. The black polished vehicle blending into the night as he drove away from the bright lights and colours of the bustling city. Eventually he reached the international airport and wheeled his small black suitcase up to the check-in desks.

A young woman with dark, brown hair and hazel eyes looked up from her computer screen to attend to Elijah, pushing her blue necktie slightly to the side and she asked,

"What can I help you with, Sir?"

Elijah smiled at her and she immediately melted under his gaze, fiddling with her uniform but staring back into Elijah's grey eyes.

"Ashley," Elijah greeted her after reading the silver nametag on her chest. "I was hoping that you could tell me when the nearest flight is to Panama City?"

Ashley smiled and dragged her eyes away from his.

"It says here that the next flight is tomorrow morning at 10." She smiled back, leaning forward on her chair slightly towards Elijah.

He seemed to always have this effect on women.

"I'm afraid that isn't soon enough, Ashley." Elijah leaned forward towards her and trapped her eyes with his, compelling her. "Would you mind checking again?"

Ashley slowly looked back to her computer.

"There's another leaving in an hour, but it's been booked out by a special client. I'm not sure if I could get you a seat." She muttered.

Elijah sighed and instantly knew who this 'special client' could be. It isn't everyday that somebody books out a whole plane for only an hour's flight – he only needed confirmation.

"Ashley," Elijah calmly spoke, dragging her eyes back to his. "Tell me who this special client is."

"Katherine Pierce." Ashley spoke back, gazing into his eyes, her pupils dilating from the compulsion.

Elijah smiled and dropped his suitcase on the conveyer belt.

"Get me a seat."

* * *

Caroline wasn't really sure on who to go to for her questions about Klaus. Elena would probably just be downright disgusted by what she had done and would never let her forget it - especially emotions-off Elena, who was a conniving bitch. Damon was disgusting himself and Caroline couldn't stand being in a room alone with him. Matt and Bonnie were actually at school, the only ones in the entire community who seemed to be concerned with their education, and Tyler wouldn't understand, he'd probably just get angry and want to kill him, which Caroline couldn't be bothered worrying about. So that left Stefan.

Stefan and Caroline had built up quite a friendship though, they were a good team and they had found themselves spending a lot of time in each other's company.

"You must have seen it coming, Caroline." Stefan said trying to hide his amusement as Caroline stared back at him, a puzzled look upon her face.

"What?" Caroline asked, bewildered by what he had said.

"You have him wrapped around your little finger. I don't know what to say Caroline, it seems pretty plausible." Stefan snickered.

"Right, well, I'll be going if you have nothing helpful to say." Caroline sighed angrily, and stood up to leave.

Just as Caroline reached the Salvatore's door, Damon appeared in front of her, his smirk reaching his left eye and putting his hands up in front of him to stop Caroline from leaving.

"Stefan may be of no help. But I could be." Damon murmured, smiling back at Caroline and walking slowly forward, forcing her to stumble backwards. "I think you're original boyfriend might be keeping something from you."

"What are you talking about, Damon?" Caroline said exasperatedly.

"Your teenage dramas at prom? Not the first time you've had some close moments with Klaus, Caroline. I've seen you around with him!" Damon laughed, as Caroline flashed her head up to Damon's. Caroline couldn't reply, she didn't know what to think of what Damon was implying.

"What? You're telling me that I've been seeing Klaus and just not remembering anything about it?" Caroline laughed, shrugging off all of her previous uncertainties - that was a ridiculous accusation to make.

But Caroline's smile dropped as she surveyed Damon's answer. He didn't say anything, but his eyes answered for him, he looked as confused as she did.

_What did she mean she couldn't remember anything about it?_ Damon asked himself.

Damon rarely looked confused, and even a trace of worry flashed in his eyes as he looked back at Caroline. If Damon had no jokes to make, and even he questioned the situation Caroline found herself in... then something was very, very wrong.

"I need to go." Caroline muttered as she sped out of the house, racking her brain for what to do next…

_She needed to talk to Klaus…. Now._


	4. Chapter 4

Hey Readers!  
Hope you're enjoying this fanfic so far!  
Please leave some reviews!

Thanks for Reading, Bec :)

* * *

After Kol and Rebekah had left Klaus alone he could no longer think of sleep. He wandered through the streets of the French quarter in New Orleans, taking in everything he had come to miss since he had last been there 100 years ago. He stopped to admire the buildings which surrounded him, four stories, laced with the ornate decoration of French provincial architecture - each building including a balcony extending the length of the building itself and people stood on them, looking down to the activities and excitement occurring below.

The streets were buzzing with energy, with people walking along the passages of clubs and bars, which were filled with more of them enjoying the freedom and culture the city gave them. Klaus had come to know that New Orleans was now swarming with vampires and as he strolled throughout the boulevards he could see it for himself. There were hundreds of them, gathering all through the night to prey on the tourists that kept pouring into the city. Klaus had been the one to build this city, but he could never have imagined it becoming the hive for vampires that it now was. It was the supernatural city of America.

In the morning he had planned to meet with his old friend and former protégé, Marcel. Marcel had made this town more than Klaus perhaps ever could have, even if he was given the opportunity. Marcel was king of the city, and everybody followed his rules, he had ultimate power and held the whole of New Orleans in his tight grip.

Klaus eventually found a seat on the world famous Bourbon Street, facing the Royal Sonesta Hotel. The Hotel curved luxuriously around the corner of the street, and illuminated bright lights coming from each room in the hotel.

Klaus sat down on the wooden bench and pulled out Elijah's envelope. Klaus looked at it questioningly, why he couldn't just give a message to Rebekah to pass on to him meant that whatever Elijah had to see was to be kept a secret.

Klaus opened the envelope and pulled out only a short note inside it which read:

_Niklaus,_

_It was not a hollow warning when I said to be careful in your future dealings._

_Since I have come to New Orleans, I have heard reports that the werewolf pack that helped Tyler Lockwood break his sire bond wants you dead. I don't know why, but I think it is best if you keep a vigilant eye. I know you are able to fight off whatever comes your way, but it is not you I am worried about. You know as well as I do that to break an unbreakable person, you break someone they love. I am very worried that the pack may be now going after Caroline also - especially considering my last encounter with Tyler._

_Caroline is a strong woman, I agree, but she isn't this strong._

_You need to help her, Klaus- no matter what the costs. You'll never lead a happy life again if you refuse._

_I have gone to Panama City for a few days; I plan to find out more about this pack while I'm over there. Don't speak of this to your sister, she will lash out._

_Forever and Always,_

_Elijah._

* * *

Elijah slowly strolled up the passage of the plane, his black suit jacket draped over his arm and carrying his black suitcase as he walked. The further he walked up the length of the plane, the more amused he became; of course Katherine would be sitting in first class. Eventually he could see the back of Katherine's head, her long brown curls draping behind her. She sat there; crossing her legs and flipping through a trashy magazine, rolling her eyes at the celebrities who she would watch grow old and die.

"Miss Pierce," Elijah hummed, as Katherine turned around and slowly rose from her seat, a soft smirk hinting on her lips. She cocked her head to the side and jokingly stared at him confused, as if she had never seen Elijah before.

"Strange. I thought I had booked out this whole plane myself… I'm sorry, but do I know you?" Katherine asked, mocking an innocent face.

Elijah grinned, stepping forward with an outstretched palm.

"Elijah Mikaelson." He said, as Katherine put her hand on his.

Elijah slowly lifted her hand up to meet his lips with the back of her hand, pressing a soft kiss on it as Katherine smiled up to him.

"A pleasure." Katherine said in the most polite voice she could, as she softly curtsied, mocking the past traditions they used to uphold.

Katherine dropped her hand and sat back down to her seat, motioning for Elijah to sit on the seat next to hers.

"Well, since we're going to be on this plane for a while, we should find something to talk about… Are you going to tell me why you wanted to see me? In Panama City of all places?" Katherine said, returning her voice back to its normal tone.

"I have a proposition to make." Elijah announced, staring back at her.

Katherine slightly squinted her eyes, before sighing and turning back to her magazine.

"No thanks. Deals never end well with me." Katherine nonchalantly sighed.

"You might be interested in this one." Elijah smirked, pulling the magazine away from Katherine, forcing her to look back at him. "I can get you your freedom, Katherina."

At this, Katherine's eyes faintly lit up and a look of desperate hope flashed across her face.

"Klaus would never let me go." Katherine tested, still hopeful.

"You could be wrong. There's a reason I told you to meet me in Panama City, there's something there that Klaus needs to know about, but I need your help uncovering it. If you get it for him, you can exchange your freedom in return." Elijah explained. "All you need to do is help me."

Katherine stared back at Elijah, weighing up the consequences she may have to face if she tries to make deals with Klaus. After a few moments, Katherine dropped her head to the side.

"Deal." She sighed, slightly smiling back at Elijah. "Won't this be fun?" She mocked, rolling her eyes at the inevitability that Elijah and her were now going to spend _a lot_ of time together.

* * *

Caroline paced her bedroom, tapping her phone against the palm of her hand as she tried to find the courage to ring Klaus. She had no idea what she was going to say, let alone what to think.

"Ugh." She groaned, as she sat down on her bed.

She pulled her phone out, winced as she pressed on Klaus's number and slowly put the phone up to her ear, biting her lip and waiting for him to answer.

Secretly she prayed that he wouldn't answer so she would have an excuse as to why she didn't speak to him but just as she thought it was going to go to voice mail, Klaus's voice answered.

"Caroline?"

Caroline shut her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Hi." Caroline mustered up all the happiness in her voice she could, but she ended up coming across a little too chirpy for what she was about to say.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Klaus asked, obviously confused as to why Caroline had decided to ring him.

"Yes." Caroline sighed. She didn't know how she was going to say it. "Why didn't you say that we… we… kissed? At prom?"

Klaus went dead silent on the other end of the line, and Caroline shut her eyes and clenched her jaw, anticipating his reply.

"How… do you know about that?" Klaus asked quietly, perhaps more asking himself than Caroline.

Caroline dropped her jaw at his question.

"What?! Do you really think I was that drunk!?" Caroline retorted, insulted by his comment.

"No. Caroline, no. You just never talked about it before now. Prom was three months ago, I thought you must have forgotten." Klaus lied through his teeth, ironically telling her she should have forgotten about it.

"I found some pictures okay?" Caroline sighed. She put her hand to her head. "Look, I don't remember much about that night. There are blank spots everywhere. I called you because…" Caroline stopped herself. In truth, she wasn't really sure why she called him. There was just this part of her, that wanted to talk to him and she couldn't deny it. "I'm scared."

_What?! Scared?! Where did that come from? Why did you say scared?! _Caroline yelled at herself. That was word vomit at it's finest and now she bit her lip so hard it drew blood.

"Caroline…" Klaus said quietly, as if he was about to admit something, but Caroline intervened.

"Forget it. Let's just pretend I didn't say anything. It's not even a big deal. Sorry for bothering you." Caroline blurted out, pulled the phone from her ear and hung up. She fell back on to her bed and covered her face with her hands.

_Oh. My. God. Caroline?! What did you just do?!_ The majority of her mind scolded itself for the stupidity it has just done, but a tiny part of it, somewhere deep inside her head that she wasn't even consciously aware of, pined for the time when she could hear Klaus's voice again.

* * *

Klaus stared at his phone, utterly shocked and confused with what had just happened. He desperately wanted to call her back, to help her, to comfort her, but he knew that he couldn't.

But this was a threat he hadn't properly planned for. She couldn't start to remember, that wasn't possible. And what would happen if she did?

"Klaus Mikaelson. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Marcel's voice came ringing through the bar, which Klaus was sitting alone at, interrupting his train of thought.

Klaus turned around and smiled at Marcel, who was walking over to him with outstretched arms and a huge grin plastered on his face and his eyes being pushed into squints.

Klaus stood up from the bar stool and met Marcel and pulled him into an embrace, patting his hand against his back.

"Why are you in New Orleans?" Marcel asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Mystic Falls no longer had any business for me. I thought I'd pay this city a visit." Klaus smirked back. He was with Marcel, but his mind was with Caroline.

"Well, What do you think?!" Marcel said, raising his arms and angling himself to the window.

The bar was in Jackson Square and the streets outside were filled with street performers and artists.

"Humor me, Marcel, how many vampires are in this town?" Klaus asked, dropping his smile.

"Let's just say that the supernatural run this town. It's truly something, Klaus, you'd like it here. I've kept the witches under control and I've taught the humans to look the away. We're lucky we get so many tourists here, otherwise there might not be enough blood." Marcel laughed.

Klaus laughed back, but he heart wasn't in it.

Marcel sensed that something was wrong with Klaus and decided it was better to leave him alone.

"How about we meet up later tonight? I'll find you in Jackson Square, you can pick where you want to go. Nine pm." Marcel smiled. "I can show you what this town really has to offer."

Klaus smirked and slightly nodded. Marcel turned around and walked out of the bar leaving Klaus behind.

Klaus pulled out his phone once more and rang Caroline immediately. She wanted help, that's why she told him she was scared. Klaus wasn't sure why she was scared, but if she was starting to remember then he needed to know, and the only way he was going to find out was to talk to her.

Her phone rang out and it went to voicemail.

"Caroline, I'm sorry for not talking to you about it. I thought you would have regretted it. Obviously, that's all still true. But if you need an explanation just know that… that's the only time it's happened, and we can forget about it if that's what you want." Klaus said wincing as he said the message, unsure if he was saying the right thing but knowing it was too late once he had said it.

Klaus hung up, sighed and placed his phone on the bar and called the waiter over.

"Get me something strong." He said, dropping his head into his hands.

* * *

Caroline sat on her bed and listened to Klaus leave the voicemail. She didn't have the guts to answer it; she would have just said something stupid again. Her heart thumped in her chest as he spoke.

Caroline's thoughts were interfered by a knock on her front door. As she opened the door she grinned as she noticed it was Tyler.

"Hey Tyler." Caroline welcomed him inside. She was so happy to see him, it seemed as though recently he was ignoring her.

"Hey Carr." Tyler said as he pulled her into a hug. "It's good to see you."

As he hugged her, he pulled out a needle of vervain, and pricked it into her arm.

"Ouch! What was that?!" Caroline pushed away from Tyler and her eyes widened at what he was holding in his hand.

"Tyler? What did you…" She asked, her body becoming limp, but her mind desperately trying to stop herself from passing out.

"Nothing personal Carr. You're just leverage." Tyler smirked as she fell into his arms.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey Guys!

Hope you enjoy this chapter.

We have a lot of Klaroline!

Leave some reviews!

p.s. if you can be bothered, look up the hotel that Katherine and Elijah stay at. I thought it was so cool when I saw it!

And it will give you some more context :)

* * *

Caroline awoke on the roof of a building. It was night and the air was thin and cold, but a soft breeze blew and softly tousled Caroline's hair.

She was on top of a skyscraper in a city she didn't recognize; other tall buildings surrounded her and their window lights shone through the darkness. Calling for help was hopeless - the sounds of the large city would drown out her voice.

After trying to stand up, she realized her wrists and ankles were bound together and tied to a metal pipe she was leaning against behind her. At this, Caroline began to panic. She tried to pull against the ropes but they were filled with vervain and they burned her skin, leaving red gashes all across her normally porcelain skin.

"Ah!" She seethed as she tried to escape, burning her whole arms in the process.

At that tiny sound, a figure came bursting through the roof door adjacent to where she was sitting.

"Welcome to New Orleans, Caroline!" A woman proclaimed.

Caroline had never seen this woman before, but she knew that she must have been a werewolf. She was dark, and her eyes slanted like those of a fox, almost like the female version of Tyler.

"Who the hell are you?" Caroline spat back, trying to hide her fear of being in a city outside of Mystic Falls… for the first time in her whole life.

"I'm Hayley." She answered, smirking and slowly approaching Caroline. "That doesn't matter of course. You are the main attraction for the night."

"What are you talking about? Why am I here?" Caroline yelled, thrashing against her ropes and fighting back her groans of pain from the cuts.

"Don't play dumb, blondie." Hayley spat, walking right over to Caroline and towering over her. "Klaus is very close by. I'm sure that if we even lay a finger on you, he'll come running. You just need to help us a little; we might need you to scream louder than normal, so he can hear you. Or… maybe we can make that happen without your help."

Hayley then smirked and walked back towards the door.

"I'll be back soon." She sighed, and at that she was gone.

_They're going to torture me… and I can't rely on Klaus, who doesn't even blink when his brother dies, to come and save me. Me! Of all people! Why would they choose me to be his leverage? What do they want with him? Why would Tyler do this to me? _

Caroline panicked, groaning as she tried to get out of the ropes, quickly shaking her arms and pulling slightly against them.

Caroline knew that Hayley could be back any minute now and trying to shake out of these ropes wasn't going to help her at all. After a few seconds she came to the awareness that ropes can't actually hold a vampire down and even though the vervain would burn and cut her wrists incredibly deeply, it wasn't going to slice her limbs off, the ropes would have to snap.

"On the count of three." Caroline whispered to herself. "One… two… three."

Caroline suddenly pulled her wrists against the ropes as hard as possible and despite the extreme agony of her burns and cuts being carved even greater into her skin, the ropes did snap and her hands were free.

Caroline screamed in pain, trying to quiet her suffering by biting her lip and pressing her eyes closed.

Caroline quickly reached down to her ankles and untied the knots over her ankles, burning her fingers and ankles more in the process.

Her hands, arms and legs were now glowing red and dripping with blood. She tried to stand, but her legs failed her and she had to partially crawl before successfully standing on her own two feet. The vervain in her system had obviously not dissipated yet and her body was challenging her every step, as she tried to run to the side of the roof.

When she reached the side, she spotted a ladder she could climb down into a dark alley, adjacent to the main road. Slowly but surely, Caroline stumbled over the concrete ledge and lowered herself onto the ladder. But as she climbed down, her blood-covered hands slipped on the ladder and she free fell straight onto the street, landing with a harsh blow to the side of her body. She was momentarily paralysed and waves of pain rippled through her like an electric shock. Caroline couldn't even scream anymore and she nearly passed out from the severe pain.

_You're not going to get taken again. Caroline. Get up. _She yelled at herself trying to stop her eyes from closing as she heard the rooftop door open again.

With a strength Caroline didn't realise she could have, she pulled herself up off the ground with all her force and scampered down the alley, away from Hayley, away from the rooftop, away from the bright lights and into the darkness of the night.

* * *

Katherine stepped out of the taxi and looked up at the hotel they were going to be staying at. It was the Trump Ocean Club, a skyscraper in the heart of the Panama skyline and looking over the far, outstretching ocean. It was shaped like a sail, and being 70 stories high, it towered over the rest of the whole city. She strutted into the front door and right up to the receptionist, with Elijah strolling a little behind and the taxi driver also following, carrying their bags.

"Check in, please." Katherine asked, feeling a little worn out from the flight and the taxi drive.

Elijah walked up to Katherine and rested his elbow on the desk.

After a few minutes of Katherine organizing the booking, the receptionist smiled and gave them a key card to their room.

"Room 556, that's on level 55. Enjoy your stay." The receptionist moved their bags as Katherine and Elijah walked over to the elevator.

"Only one room?" Elijah asked.

"There are two bedrooms inside it, Elijah. Don't freak out." Katherine muttered, trying to stop herself from blushing.

As they entered the room, Katherine gasped a little at the magnificent view before them. The living area featured a huge window and balcony extending outwards with a panoramic view of the sea. Nothing blocked the view of the forever – extending ocean, the sun glittered upon the ripples of the waves and in the far distance the outline of an island curved upon the horizon. Katherine continued to look around the room, it was truly the most beautiful place she had stayed and the rooms featured furniture and décor like she had never seen before. She walked out to the balcony as Elijah began to unpack in his room, with her own next door. She slightly leaned over the edge of the balcony breathing in the fresh sea air and felt the ocean breeze brush her hair across her skin. Elijah joining her on the balcony interrupted her moment of trance.

"This is quite the city." Elijah smiled, glancing at Katherine for perhaps a little too long as he said it.

Katherine caught her breath when she turned to him, as he was standing literally within inches of her body. She slowly looked up into his eyes, and saw that he was staring back at her. A soft fire seemed to course throughout her body and she drew her eyes down to his lips. Elijah looked down at her, leaning in slightly towards her and parting his lips.

"It is." Katherine quickly intervened, turning her body away from him and walking back into the room.

She refused to begin this again with Elijah. She had already manipulated him and his brother once before and she never really got over her guilt. No. There was no way she was going to rekindle the 17th century romance with Elijah.

"So. We are currently in Panama City. What do you want me to do?" Katherine asked, dropping herself onto the deep blue couch and crossing her leg over the other.

Elijah sauntered back into the room, rearranging his tie, trying to calm himself down after Katherine's temptation.

"There's somebody you have to meet for me." Elijah said, keeping his distance from Katherine and walking over to a large, royal chair opposite her.

"When are we going?" Katherine persisted.

"As soon as your ready." Elijah said, smiling back at Katherine.

"Then let's go." Katherine said, standing back up and strutting back over to the front door, swinging her handbag over her shoulder and walking straight out.

Elijah sighed out, touching his fist against his mouth and closing his eyes, trying desperately to fade his desire for Katherine Pierce.

* * *

Klaus walked into yet another bar, slowly following behind the eager Marcel, who was shaking various hands and greeting everybody he saw as they walked through. Marcel had been extremely keen to show Klaus everything New Orleans had to offer, but apparently that just meant showing Klaus the meaningless amounts of partying that could be done. While Marcel was talking with a few of his many fans, Klaus sat alone at the bar, swatting away the many girls who were throwing themselves at the infamous, original vampire.

"Not tonight, love." Klaus exhaled to a young vampire, who had strategically placed herself within touching distance of Klaus and was peaking up at him through her eyelashes.

She pursed her lips and walked off as Klaus's phone began to ring.

_Caroline? She's calling again? _

Klaus stared dumbfounded down at the phone. He stood up and started to walk out of the bar to where he could hear, signaling to Marcel that he had a call.

Once he was in the quieter street, he answered.

"Hello?" Klaus said, slightly scared as to what this call was about.

"Klaus. I don't know who else to call." Caroline voice came from the other side of the call. Her voice was shaky, stressed and she sounded like she was in pain.

"What's wrong?" Klaus ordered, suddenly overcome with a panic.

"Ah!" Caroline groaned. "Klaus. Tyler kidnapped me… he wants something with you. They were going to kill me. I... I'm in New Orleans. Klaus, I don't know where to go." Her voice was strained and she paused often to catch her breath.

"Where are you?" Klaus asked angrily, already searching throughout Bourbon Street, looking down alleys as he walked.

"I… I don't know." Caroline whined. "Klaus, please hurry. The pain… It's getting worse. I thought they had just drugged me with vervain, but I'm not getting better. Klaus I can't stand._" _

_What had they done to her? Vervain is supposed to wear off. How could she be getting…_

_Oh. _

_Werewolf venom. She has a werewolf bite. _

_"_What do you see around you?" Klaus demanded. He had to get to her as soon as possible, now that there was a real danger in leaving her for much longer.

_"_I'm in an alley. There's a skyscraper next to me… It's… It's got a red glowing label on the top." Caroline panted.

_She's in the city. _

"Caroline. You've got to stop moving. It'll only make it worse. Stay exactly where you are, I'll come as soon as possible." Klaus begged her, while running to the nearest street out of the French quarter.

He found a car sitting on the side of the street and with just a slight shaking of the handle he broke into the car and found a spare key in the glove box.

Klaus sped through New Orleans, always keeping an eye on the skyscraper and knowing that if Caroline had a werewolf bite he had very little time to save her.

_I will kill Tyler the instant I find Caroline. That filthy bastard thinks he can hurt Caroline to get to me. What have I done? How… How do I explain this to her?_

Tapping his hands on the wheel he came closer and closer to the building, stressfully clenching his jaw so that his cheekbones were jutting out of his face. He jumped out of the car and saw an alley next to the skyscraper… that had to be where she was.

He ran to the alley and slowed himself down as he approached it, not wanting to frighten Caroline….  
But there she was, lying on the ground and scrunched up in pain, with her arms and legs covered in blood.

"Caroline." Klaus whispered, slowly shaking his head.

This was his fault.

She didn't answer. Her body was tensed up and she still clutched her phone in her hands, but her mind was drifting away and she was on the verge of passing out- only this time she wouldn't wake back up.

"Caroline." Klaus growled as he bent down to her, lifting her head up and placing it on his lap.

He caressed her face and pushed her hair away as she faintly opened her eyes to stare up at him. She had cold sweat all across her face, and as Klaus moved his hand down, he saw a large werewolf bite on her neck - It had been there for a long time, and her neck and hair was red from the blood.

Klaus shut his eyes and exhaled.

"I'm sorry." Klaus whispered as he opened his eyes back up. Caroline softly looked back up at him, and strained to give a smile back.

Klaus bit into his wrist and slowly lowered it down to her mouth.

Caroline's shaky hands pulled his arm closer to her and she softly bit into it so that she could drink his blood. Her eyes faintly became black but she suppressed it and only drank a little of his blood.

After she stopped drinking she still held Klaus's arm close to her and gently rubbed her hand over his.

"Thanks." She whispered.

Klaus picked her up slowly and carried her back to the car. He tenderly placed her in the car seat as she started to fall asleep from her exhaustion.

As he drove back to the French quarter where he could give Caroline a bed, he couldn't help but watch her sleep.

He had missed her so much.

"Klaus…" Caroline muttered. Klaus cocked his head slightly to the side when she sleep talked his name.

"Nik…" Caroline smiled, still asleep, and turned her body towards Klaus. She sighed out happily. "Nik."


	6. Chapter 6

Hey Guys! Sorry this chapter took a little longer than usual.  
For those who saw the season finale on friday night, Hopefully my fanfic can help you all get through the 5 month break of vd 3  
Now we're getting into the dramatic stuff, I promise Klaroline is all growing from here.  
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy! leave some reviews :) btw im adding in characters you've never met before, so don't panic ahah!

* * *

"You'll be meeting him here." Elijah announced, turning to Katherine.

Elijah and Katherine stood outside the tourist destination 'Las Bovedas,' in the spanish quarter of Panama City.

"Enough with the vagueness, Elijah. This whole dark and mysterious thing doesn't work for you." Katherine huffed, folding her arms over her chest and glaring away from Elijah.

"Apologies. You're meeting a werewolf who's a part of the pack that's after Klaus. His name is Luke and he has agreed to see you, as you were a very good friend of his grandfathers." Elijah answered.

_Luke. Luke was the werewolf which helped me when I was running from Klaus. The name… it must have been passed on. _Katherine though to herself.

Katherine had met thousands of people in her life, but Luke was the most sincere man she had ever known... He was the only werewolf that she had grown to trust. He had protected her from Klaus when she had nobody else, he let her stay with the pack for a while and he kept a constant record on Klaus's whereabouts so that Katherine could stay away from his path.

Luke was one of her best friends, and without him, she wouldn't be alive today.

Katherine turned to Elijah and walked straight up to him, her eyes burning with anger.

"Are you telling me, that I'm about to meet Luke's grandson to betray him?! You wanted me to find out this pack's plans so that we could save Klaus by killing the pack… but I can't sabotage this blood line, Elijah." Katherine spat at him.

Elijah smiled and he tilted his head slightly to the side.

"Ironic, isn't it? The only way to truly save yourself from Klaus, is to betray those who saved you from him in the first place." Elijah spoke, authority in his voice.

Katherine was taken aback. She had never seen Elijah like this, so manipulative and deceitful.

"You had planned this all along…" Katherine spoke, slowly backing away from Elijah. "You knew that this pack helped me run. You knew it all along. That's why you brought me here, not because I'm just another pair of hands, but because I'm the only vampire this werewolf pack could ever trust…. I can't do it Elijah."

Elijah reached forward and strongly grasped Katherine's arm, pulling her towards him so that he could whisper in her ear.

"Family above all else." Elijah whispered.

Katherine pulled back and Elijah was gone, but she knew he would be watching and listening. She considered running away, but a voice spoke from behind her.

"Katherine?"

Katherine turned and saw the face of a young man, nearly identical to Luke. He had soft, kind brown eyes and a soft smile planted on his lips. He was of spanish descent and his skin glowed with a brown tinge.

Katherine caught her breath, he could have been Luke in flesh again, and she had missed him so much. She couldn't speak, she was so stunned by his appearance.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you. My grandfather used to tell me stories about you." Luke laughed, his eyes becoming slits and a smile spreading across his face.

Katherine forced a smile. "Nice to meet you too." she said.

"I know you've been through a lot Katherine. Just know that myself and the rest of the pack are doing everything in our power to end Klaus." Luke's voice turned grey, he looked at Katherine almost with pity in his eyes.

Katherine closed her eyes, trying to tell herself that she can't feel guilty for what she was about to do to Luke, but Luke grabbed her shoulder.

"I know my grandfather loved you. I know you loved him too, and I promise that in his name I will finish what he started." Luke gently shook her shoulders and stared into her now open eyes.

"Thankyou." Katherine sincerely said. But as she spoke, she saw Elijah come into view behind Luke.

A wave of fear swept over her for she knew that if she didn't do this, Klaus would kill her.

"Can you tell me what your plans are? To end Klaus?" Katherine stuttered.

"Of course." Luke smiled.

As Luke described the position of the whole pack and their plans to kill Klaus, Katherine couldn't bear to look Luke in the eyes and in the background she could feel Elijah's eyes upon her, and a smile spreading across his lips.

* * *

The last thing Caroline could remember was Klaus carrying her in his strong arms, but after that moment, she fell into a wonderfully, vivid dream.

_It was the afternoon before prom and she was in Klaus's room, getting into her prom dress that he had given her. It was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen, cream, fitted and it slightly flared at the bottom. It was covered in little jewels, which netted around the whole dress making it shine everyway she turned._

_"Can I come in?" Klaus spoke, softly knocking on the door._

_"No. Not yet!" Caroline laughed. She didn't want him to see her yet, she was nervous about what he would say to her._

_"I'm coming in anyway." Klaus laughed, opening the door and stopping as soon as he saw Caroline._

_She looked equisitely beautiful, and he was speechless._

_"Stop looking at me like that!" Caroline laughed nervously, wringing her hands._

_"I'm sorry I just… I… I" Klaus stuttered, he had no words that sounded quite right to describe how striking she looked. "You look perfect."_

_Caroline smiled back at him, a did a quick, little turn on the spot._

_"Where did you get this anyway?" Caroline asked._

_"I found it a hundred years ago. I've never seen anybody wear it before. I intended to give it to my sister as a gift… but it looks much better on you." Klaus spoke in a daze, while Caroline fixed her hair in a mirror._

_Klaus walked over to her and pulled a necklace from his pocket. He put his hands around her neck and strung the necklace on her._

_It was a diamond ball, hanging on a silver chain and it sparkled brightly, shining upon her bare shoulders._

_Caroline turned around to face Klaus and her eyes were soft with adoration. Klaus picked up the ball in his hand and turned it slightly to the side. As the light reflected off the necklace, it shon patterns of light against her skin, but as he turned the ball and he found the right angle, the light reflected a C upon her skin._

_"C for Caroline… I wanted to get you something. No matter how many proms you could experience in your life, this is your first, so it has to be special. I thought it suited you as soon as I saw it." Klaus smiled, his eyes upon Caroline's._

_Caroline pulled Klaus into a hug and whispered,"It's perfect."_

Caroline awoke from her dream with a start and instantly the memories of the night before came flooding back to her. She could only remember running through the back streets of New Orleans, but after that everything was a blur. She knew for sure though, that Klaus had come to save her and that he was the reason she was alive. Caroline looked around the room, she had never been here before. The hot sun was shining through the white curtains on the windows and Caroline could see speckles of dust floating in the air in the stream of light. She slowly got out of the bed and saw a pile of clothes folded on a chair opposite the bed. It was a simple pair of jeans and a purple shirt, around her size, obviously meant for her. She picked up the clothes and walked to a mirror on the opposite side of the room, but she was shocked at her reflection.

Her clothes were completely drenched in blood, her shirt was almost stiff because of all the dried blood and there were holes ripped all over her clothes. She lifted her hair to inspect her now completely healthy neck and the werewolf bite was totally healed.

Caroline quickly got out of her clothes and showered, desperately trying to make herself somewhat presentable.

Eventually, she was back to her normal self, except for the fact she was in clothes she didn't own, in a town she didn't know and the fact that she couldn't even curl her hair because no matter how hard she searched the bathroom she couldn't find a curler anywhere – or makeup for that matter.

Caroline surveyed herself in the mirror before leaving the room, she didn't look half bad for wearing no makeup, but she still felt nervous about leaving the room.

Caroline knew that there was a good chance Klaus was somewhere in this building and he could be right outside that door.

_Why, Why, Why do I keep dreaming about him? _Caroline asked herself.

She was genuinely confused, she didn't have any feelings for him, right? So what could it be?

Caroline huffed, straightened out her shirt and walked over the door, and left the room.

* * *

Klaus sat alone in the living area, painting a canvas he had been working on for months, just below the staircase to where Caroline was sleeping. He was painting a landscape, a river with a backdrop of a forest, inspired by a part of Mystic Falls he had often visited alone, when he needed time to think. Despite the beauty of that river, he had painted something dark and cold. The river was practically black and it almost looked as thick as blood, and the forest behind it was grey and cold, almost as if death was lurking behind every tree he painted. He didn't know why he painted something so beautiful, yet so dark at the same time. He had begun painting it a month before he compelled Caroline to forget, so perhaps it was because his heart was already torn when he had started. Caroline had seen him paint it a few times, before he left her, and it made her upset. She even asked him to stop making it, because no matter how hard she tried to make him happy, she couldn't break through this wall of darkness he had inside him, and the painting was proof of that.

His painting was interrupted by a creak of the floorboards on the staircase and he quickly stood up and turned around to greet Caroline.

"Caroline." Klaus greeted, he smiled up at her, taking in her natural beauty. She looked so beautiful. Her hair hung casually off her shoulders and her blue eyes shone through her porcelain skin.

"Klaus." Caroline sighed. "Sorry about everything, last night, I didn't know who else to call."

"Caroline. Don't apologise, it's all my fault. It it wasn't for me, you'd be safely at home right now." Klaus stuttered. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. Just a little disorientated." Caroline smiled, she still stood on the staircase, clumsily holding onto the bannister. "Am I still in New Orleans?"

"Yes. I would have taken you home last night, but you were in no state." Klaus explained. He knew Caroline felt uncomfortable, and there was a growing awkward tension between them.

Klaus walked back over to the living area and picked up a blood bag from the table. He handed it to Caroline. Caroline's eyes went soft when she took the bag, and gave smile in thanks.

"I can give you some space if you like." Klaus offered, knowing she would probably prefer to be alone.

Klaus started to walk towards the front door but Caroline immediately said after him, "Don't go."

Klaus stopped in his tracks, and slowly turned around, a confused look on his face.

"Sorry, I… You… You can go if you want. I just… I don't feel safe here." Caroline sputtered.

Klaus nodded, and walked back to his painting, sitting down again so maybe Caroline would have the courage to actually walk down all the stairs. As he continued to paint, Caroline walked over to a window and stared out into the streets of New Orleans, drinking slowly from the blood bag and closing her eyes from the satisfaction of drinking it.

"It's a beautiful city, Caroline." Klaus said, as she stared out onto the streets.

"If only I could have known it in different situations." Caroline spoke, sighing and turning to give Klaus a half-hearted smile.

After a few moments, Caroline moved and was standing next to Klaus, looking at the painting in front of them both.

"What do you think of it?" Klaus asked, moving his eyes from the painting to Caroline, who was regarding the painting with her eyebrows scrunched up and her eyes squinted.

"I hate it." Caroline blurted out. She gasped after she said it, taking a few steps away from him. "Sorry, that was really rude."

Caroline began to walk away, but Klaus reached out to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her back to him. Caroline caught her breath and stared down at his strong hand holding on to her arm, at the touch of his skin against hers.

"Tell me why. Why do you hate it?" Klaus ordered her, searching into her eyes.

Caroline looked up from his arm and stared back into his eyes.

"Because It's so dark and depressed… like you've never been happy before." Caroline cried. "Because it makes me miserable looking at that painting! Because it makes me pity you!" Caroline stared back into Klaus's eyes, and tears started to form in the corner of them.

Klaus was shocked, he tried to say a reply but his mouth went dry and he couldn't form the words.

Caroline pulled away from his arm.

"Caroline…" Klaus said steadily, trying to calm her down.

"No, Nik!" Caroline interrupted him. Her voice became strained like she was trying to stop herself from crying. "Why do I remember this painting?"

Klaus walked towards her, trying to comfort her, he didn't know how to explain this. Caroline walked even further away from him.

"Why!? What's happening to me?" Caroline exclaimed, running her hands through her hair. "I keep having these visions of things that never happened, Klaus!"

Klaus walked quickly over to her before she could take further steps back and held onto her shoulders.

"Caroline, calm down." Klaus tried to reassure her from her panic attack.

All of a sudden her eyes turned from sadness into complete shock, her mouth opened in a gasp and she stopped fighting against Klaus.

"Oh My God." Caroline whispered in disbelief. "I don't know why this is happening to me." Caroline slowly seperated herself from Klaus, and went to sit down on the couch. "I'm so sorry."

Caroline dropped her head into her hands and started to quietly cry. She was overwhelmed by her confusion and she didn't know what to do about it.

"I'm so sorry, Caroline." Klaus murmered as he watched her cry.

Klaus walked over to her and sat next to her on the couch.

_What have I done to Caroline?! _Klaus asked himself. _Her happiness, her spirit is fading away, all because of me. I still can't tell her, it's too much. She's better off without me. _

Klaus sat there with her for a few moments and occassionally turned to watch her.

He put her phone down in front of her, and sighed. He wanted so badly for Caroline to stay, to see New Orleans, but she needed to go. She was better off without him.

"Call whoever you need to call. I'll take you home tonight." Klaus said calmly, standing up to leave her alone. As he walked away he couldn't help but reflect upon what had just happened.

For a split second, Caroline had remembered everything she had been through with him. For a split second she described the painting just like she used to. For a split second she called him Nik.

But in that moment of Caroline remembering, a burst of happiness shot through Klaus and despite the fact that he told himself he was bad for her, in that moment, he knew he couldn't live without her.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys!  
Here's chapter 7, I'll be consistent and upload every week just to let you know!  
Reviews keep me going, so please leave them.  
Hope you enjoy! Thanks :)

* * *

Rebekah wandered the streets of New Orleans on her own. She had left Kol back at the hotel by himself, whether he was still there was another story. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, once again checking her messages for Klaus; she hadn't heard form him since the night he went out with Marcel. She had already left him countless amounts of messages and his overdue absence left a tinge of worry in her stomach.

Rebekah walked completely through the French quarter, the crowds that once filled the streets were eventually far behind her, and she walked entirely alone in the cold, night air. She wasn't walking to anywhere or for anything; she just walked, like a human would.

As she walked, however, she occasionally heard small cracks of twigs, or the scrapes of pebbles against the road behind her and she began to ready herself for a possible threat. The faster she walked, the louder the sounds became and after a minute she stopped in her tracks and sharply turned around. Sure enough, a young man she didn't recognize jumped out in front of her, his eyes glowing yellow, his canines flashing through his snarling mouth and a low growl droning through his chest.

"I wouldn't if I were you." Rebekah threatened, standing a few meters away from the predatory werewolf. He made no reply and Rebekah cocked her head to one side, while slowly approaching the man. "Do you have _any_ idea who I am?" She squinted her eyes and a smirk swept across her lips to intimidate him, but he didn't back down. "Bad choice, dog."

Rebekah stabbed her open hand into his chest and pulled out his heart, drowning her hand in his blood. His eyes went blank and he fell limply to the ground, landing with a thud. But as she dropped his heart to the ground, five other men surrounded her from all angles, and Tyler Lockwood was one of them.

"You've got to be joking." Rebekah snarled, turning to face Tyler. "What the hell do you want from me?"

"I haven't made it clear enough?" Tyler sneered back.

"You're out of you mind if you think I'll tell you where my brother is." Rebekah said. She then shot her hand out and pointed to the dead body of the werewolf. "And don't even think about_ trying_ to kill me, or I can safely say you'll all end up like your little friend here."

"He's replaceable. In fact, you probably did us a favour, he was becoming dead weight." Tyler proclaimed. His voice then dropped to a nasty whisper. "I wouldn't threaten me if I were you. I have unsired every single one of Klaus's hybrids _and_ I have a whole other werewolf pack on my side. We are all going to be after your brother. If you get in our way now, you'll face the price."

Tyler then looked around to the werewolves surrounding Rebekah and himself, and gave them a nod to leave.

Tyler then leaned in to Rebekah's ear and his aggressive voice brushed through her ear. "You don't have to be a part of this. Nothing will happen to you, if you want nothing to happen to you. Just tell me where Klaus is and I'll turn a blind eye your way. But if you don't tell me where he is right now, I can swear to you that you won't live to see the full year."

Rebekah closed her eyes and swallowed a growing lump in her throat. She knew that her and Klaus had always fought with each other, and Klaus had staked her multiple times before, but they were family, forever and always… and family was placed above all else. Even if it meant her death, she wouldn't live even a slither of a happy life knowing she was the cause of her brother's.

Rebekah pushed Tyler away. "I'd rather die." She spat back at him.

"Suit yourself." Tyler said. He turned around and walked away, once again swallowed by the darkness.

* * *

Elijah and Katherine were both back in the hotel room, Katherine had come back there immediately after talking to Luke. Elijah stood outside, while Katherine sat inside, drinking a glass of scotch and holding her head in her hand. Elijah knew what he had done to her was wrong, but he had no choice, and he only could pray she would forgive him. He rang Kol, telling him about everything he had heard from Luke.

"You're a bit late for that, brother. Rebekah was nearly killed tonight because of these bloody animals. Perhaps if you hadn't have been so slow in telling us they were in New Orleans, we could have avoided it. But the plans could be helpful. I'll tell Klaus once I see him, but you should know that I haven't for the past day." Kol replied, his muffled voice coming through the mobile.

"Alright. Give my apologies to Rebekah." Elijah said, and then hung up on Kol.

_So hurting Katherine was all in vain…. _Elijah thought.

He walked back inside and sat down on the couch with Katherine and turned to her.

"I'm not certain if I have the words to properly apologise to you." He murmured, searching Katherine's face as she looked down at her glass. "You have to know that I didn't do it to hurt you. I had no other choice, Katherina."

"Now that you're finished using me, are you just going to throw me out?" Katherine said, her low, rough and cracked voice piercing Elijah.

"Only if you want to go." Elijah said.

Katherine slowly looked up and met Elijah's eyes. She opened up her mouth slightly, wanting to say something, but not finding the words.

The truth was… she didn't want to go.

Elijah's eyes stared back into Katherine's, he was praying that she didn't want to go. But after her not replying, her silence spoke louder than words.

"I think you already know the answer." He spoke quietly. Elijah then leaned into Katherine and gently pushed her hair away from her face, and softly pressed his lips into her cheek. Katherine caught her breath and closed her eyes, her heart fluttering from his closeness.

"Don't fight it Katherina." Elijah whispered into her ear. He then stood up and left, leaving Katherine alone with her new yearning.

* * *

Caroline stood outside the hotel in the boulevards of the French quarter in New Orleans. She looked around in wonder, watching people sing and dance to the constant music in the streets. It was midday and Klaus had told her that he needed to go out and do something, and that they would drive back as soon as he was done, so there Caroline was, alone once again in a city she didn't know.

But Caroline had refused to lock herself inside all day, if she was going back to Mystic Falls; she would see New Orleans first.

Slowly at first, she meandered down the streets, stopping often to look around and remember where she was, but eventually she was just walking, taking in all the culture around her. She looked in cafés and sat down to stare at the window, watching the bustling streets blur. She walked through parks and she even visited part of the city before returning back to the French quarter.

Klaus was right; it truly was a beautiful city. Something about it was so entrancing and different to Caroline. In comparison to this fascinating city, Mystic Falls was… bland.

* * *

Klaus had spent the whole afternoon with Marcel – once again filled with meaningless chatter and meaningless people. All Klaus wanted to be doing was talking with Caroline, but Marcel had forced Klaus to see him.

"Don't look so excited." Marcel laughed as Klaus glared around the bar they were drinking at.

"What are you trying to do Marcel? The days of idiocy and youth are far gone for me. Do you have anything of substance to tell me today or should I leave?" Klaus glared back at Marcel, frustration in his voice.

"Well I was going to show you later tonight, but I guess now would be better. I've been gathering a few people together that I think you should meet." Marcel announced, standing up from the bar and nodding his head to the door. "So let's go meet them."

Klaus and Marcel traveled to the outskirts of New Orleans into an empty field away from any houses in the area. It was later then and the sun had begun to set.

Klaus walked into the field and looked around, lifting up his arms to shoulder height and gesturing to the emptiness.

"Is this a jest?" Klaus laughed at the empty field. "Where are these _people _I am supposed to be meeting?"

Marcel shook his head and his faced turned grey. "I'm sorry Klaus, but they paid a high price."

"What?" Klaus asked, starting to question his safety.

Suddenly a pack of hybrids appeared out of nowhere and started to surround Klaus. Klaus recognized most of their appearances; they were hybrids he had made.

"What's going on, Marcel?!" Klaus yelled as the hybrids began to enclose around him. "I made you all! How dare you defy me?" He now yelled at the hybrids.

Klaus pushed through the wall of bodies and ran to Marcel, reaching out to grip his neck.

"You're trying to betray me?" He spat at Marcel, lifting him off the ground and hitting away any hybrids that tried to attack him from behind. "Without me you would be six feet under! I am truly immortal, and when I get myself out of this mess, which mark my words I will, I will give you no mercy in ripping your heart out of your chest."

Klaus tried to fight against all the hybrids, but eventually he was grabbed and pushed to the ground, left to fend for himself against a whole pack of those who once obeyed him.

* * *

For what seemed like only moments in the city, hours had passed.

_Shit._

Caroline hadn't realized how much time had actually passed and there was a very good chance Klaus had gone back to the hotel and found Caroline gone, and knowing Klaus, that wouldn't have gone down too well. She quickly pulled her phone out of her pocket, but strangely Klaus hadn't tried to contact her, maybe he hadn't come back yet after all.

Caroline began to run back to make up for the lost time and eventually she was back at the room, but Klaus wasn't. By then it was already eight at night and they were supposed to be travelling back to Mystic Falls.

Caroline tried calling him – repeatedly - but there was never an answer.

She sat alone in the room, waiting endlessly for Klaus's return, but in vain. Time went on, and Caroline still waited, well past midnight.

But now another problem grew, she was hungry. She had expected to be home by this hour where she could get a drink from a blood bag, but now she was stranded in the city without any blood.

She searched the room completely, without finding a drop; obviously this wasn't where Klaus was staying before he brought her here.

By 4 am Caroline was starving, and she was left with no choice but to go out – luckily New Orleans never slept, all she had to do was go into a bar. Perhaps she could find Klaus as well. Caroline left the room and began walking to a bar she had seen earlier wandering the city – it looked popular.

Upon her arrival, she was immediately swept up into the nightlife of New Orleans. There were at least a hundred people in the bar and they were all dancing, drinking and laughing. At first she was naturally taken aback, it was so different form the normal teenage parties of Mystic Falls – but then again she could never truly enjoy those because of Elena and her dramas. Men all around Caroline were offering her drinks and trying to dance with her, but she only had hunger and Klaus on her mind and after a few moments she had managed to herd a young man into a corner of the room.

"Don't fight back, don't scream." Caroline compelled the man, over the blasting beat of the music. He blankly stared back at her and she leant in and began gently drinking from his neck.

After partially nourishing herself, she began to search for Klaus. She didn't know where to start and only thought to check the various bars – but to no avail. She searched hundred of faces, but none of theirs were Klaus's and her frustration and worry grew larger by the minute. She had left Klaus hundreds of messages, all alone the lines of, "Where are you!?" or "Have you just decided to leave me here alone?!"

Finally, Caroline sat on a bench in the street in the cold darkness and watched the sun slowly rise from the red horizon, a new day dawning to the girl who hadn't slept. She had given up on finding Klaus and sat there, confused and angry. Fatigue began to take over and her eyes drooped, aching to rest.

Suddenly, she felt something, like a shot of electricity, she didn't know where it came from nor why it happened but it forced her to open her eyes and look up.

Just in front of her, she could see the silhouette of Klaus limping up the street she was sitting on and unexpectedly the heavy weight of worry was lifted off her shoulders, she stood up and half ran, walked to him.

"Klaus where have you been?!" She asked, as she walked to him.

She had a soft smile across her lips because of her happiness at his return; little did she notice the bruises and the blood splattered across Klaus's broken body. He limped slowly, a look of agony across her face and only until he was close enough for Caroline to notice the damage, did she drop her smile.

"Klaus!" She screamed, running to him. She grabbed his arms to hold him up and examined his face and body. "Oh my god. What happened to you?"

Klaus tried to reply, but the pain of his broken bones and his loss of blood left him unable to speak.

Instantly Caroline lifted one of Klaus's arms over her shoulder and started to help him walk back to the hotel room.

"Was it the same people that did this to me?" Caroline asked as they walked.

Klaus shook his head. "I don't know." He spluttered. "Marcel… he… tried to kill me. He led me to this place and these bloody hybrids were everywhere."

"I thought Marcel was your friend." Caroline said, anger in her voice.

"How do you know about Marcel?" Klaus genuinely asked.

"You've told me about him before." Caroline answered nonchalantly.

Klaus had never told Caroline about Marcel, not since compelling her.

"Well, _you have no friends_ when you're the most powerful creature on the planet, love." Klaus laughed, but catching his breath as his ribs punched through his chest at the laughter.

Once they reached the room, Caroline went to get cloth and Klaus sat himself down on the couch.

Caroline came back over and instantly went into nurse mode, gently pulling off Klaus's bloodstained shirt, as he smirked at her confidence. She wiped a wet cloth over his chest to wipe clear the blood and dirt over his open wounds, which resembled sharp claw scratches. Her soft hands glided over his skin and Klaus couldn't help but watch her as she tended to him.

"You've done this before?" Klaus asked, smirking up to her.

"Of course I have." Caroline smiled back, still tending to his wounds and bandaging the deepest ones.

"When?" Klaus asked.

"Seriously, Nik?! I've had to do this for you so many times I've lost count!" Caroline laughed.

Maybe it was because of her lack of sleep or maybe it was because of herself being lost in the action of repairing Klaus, but it was like all the compulsion over Caroline was gone.

"I'm pretty much an expert at this now." Caroline smirked. She finished attending to his chest, and then moved the cloth up to his face to wipe away the sweat and dirt which glimmered upon it. She caught his eyes in her own and stopped moving her hand, just holding it against his cheek. A soft eruption of adoration came coursing through her as she stared back into Klaus's eyes, which looked back with longing. Absent – mindedly, Caroline lifted her other hand up to Klaus's other side of his face and cupped his head in her hands as she slowly stroked his jaw with her thumb.

"I hope you're okay." Caroline whispered, still looking into his eyes.

Klaus swallowed and clenched his jaw. He slightly closed his eyes as Caroline held his face, relishing in the touch of her hands; which he had come to so badly miss.

"I'm much better now, Caroline." Klaus said back, with a slight roughness.

Caroline slightly leant forward towards Klaus and moved one of her hands behind his head and ran it through his hair, now looking down at Klaus's lips. She caught her breath and stopped moving as Klaus marginally sat up and also leant forward, trying to meet his lips with her own. She somewhat held back as he pushed forward and began to breathe heavier as her heart began to flurry. Just as her lips were about to meet his, Caroline's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion and her hand stopped pushing Klaus's head forward. Klaus sensed her apprehension and instantly regretted his forwardness. He dropped his head down and opened the gap between them.

"Sorry… I …" Caroline whispered.

"Please …don't apologise." Klaus cut her off. "Thank you so much for helping me."

Caroline smiled and breathed out, now staring at the ground.

Klaus stood up and walked upstairs to dress himself.

As Caroline watched Klaus walk away, she couldn't ignore the subtle growing feelings for a man she knew she _should _hate. Despite everything she had told herself to feel, despite all her confusion… a feeling became so clear to her, a feeling she had no way of explaining… but a feeling that she knew had been there all along. A feeling she had no other name for than… _desire._


	8. Chapter 8

Hey Readers! Hope you're enjoying so far! Please leave reviews, I read them all! :)  
Hope you like the chapter, thanks, Bec

* * *

Katherine sat alone in her bedroom in the Panama hotel, unable to sleep as time dragged on till well past midnight. She knew Elijah must have been asleep, not a sound was coming from his room and Katherine couldn't help but think about him. She thought about his voice, his eyes, and his kindness. She thought about all the memories she had spent with him, mucking around with him when nothing mattered and talking for hours when everything did. The more she thought about him, the more she wanted him, despite telling herself that she couldn't go through this again. The feeling of need was… overpowering. It coursed through her body like a volcano about to erupt, like if she didn't see him it would burn her from the inside out.

All she wanted was to see him.

Katherine quietly opened to the door to her room and she was so light on her feet that she didn't make a sound. She turned to Elijah's door and her still hand reached down to the door handle and without any hesitation, pushed it open to see him lying asleep on his bed.

Katherine stood in the doorway, admiring how at peace he looked and how this so powerful original could look so vulnerable. When she was with him… once… she never took a moment to appreciate that, in fact, she never took a moment to appreciate him. She was always manipulating him and lying to him and she thought that she didn't want him, she thought that he was just another chess piece for her to maneuver, but now… now… he was so much more than that.

Her body and her mind separated themselves and she couldn't stop her legs from tip-toeing over to his bed. She leaned over above him, watching his chest slowly rise and fall to the steady rhythm of his breath.

As strange as it sounded, he was… beautiful.

Her eyes traveled slowly down his face. His eyes were softly closed and his mouth was fractionally opened, his jaw relaxed. Then her eyes moved down his neck and to his chest, covered only by a thin, grey cotton shirt. His left arm gently rested across the white duvet, which lay upon his stomach.

The way that he was sleeping, so relaxed and _human, _contrasted so extremely to the usual stiff and statuesque way he held himself when awake. Katherine was in awe of him, and didn't notice when his eyes began to blink open.

"Katerina?" Elijah mumbled, his voice husky and low from just awakening.

Katherine gasped and quickly took a few steps back, putting her hand against the wall she was now leaning up against on the other side of the room.

"What are you doing?" He said, slowly sitting up in his bed, rubbing his eyes.

"I… I…" Katherine couldn't come up with an answer.

_What was I doing?! _She screamed at herself.

Elijah slowly stood out of bed and walked towards Katherine. He was wearing loose cotton pants and he still looked so relaxed. It was the first time Katherine had seen him _awake _with his guard down.

Katherine swallowed as he became closer to her, but he stopped within a few steps from her.

"Were you watching me sleep?" Elijah said quietly. He smirked, his eyes gleaming.

"…Yes." Katherine whispered in response.

Elijah slowly approached her and when they were only inches apart, he placed both of his hands on the wall behind Katherine, on either side of her head; confining her inside his arms.

"Katerina-" Elijah cut himself off as Katherine leaned her chin up slightly and glanced down from his eyes to his lips. Elijah lowered his head so their foreheads softly touched and he closed his eyes, breathing in the air that they were now sharing. Katherine lifted up one of her hands and placed it upon Elijah's chest.

Katherine wanted Elijah to kiss her, but he thought she didn't want it, so he wasn't going to do it.

Sensing his hesitation, Katherine grabbed his shirt with her hand and pulled him towards her so their lips finally met with a burst of energy neither of them were expecting.

Suddenly Elijah was pushing his whole body weight against Katherine and pinning her to the wall while they kissed with an urgency and a desperation like they had been without human touch for hundreds of years – maybe they had.

Katherine had thrown her other arm around his neck and not even a breath of space divided them; it was like they had become one, or at least they knew exactly what the other was about to do and their intimacy was almost like a dance. Katherine pulled back and Elijah pushed forward, he lifted his head, she lifted hers – they were completely in sync.

After what seemed like mere seconds but was in fact much longer, Elijah pulled away from Katherine's lips.

"Why?" He asked with a slight measure of confusion.

"Because I realized that I should have never let you go." Katherine replied, a soft smile appearing on her lips.

* * *

Tyler Lockwood stood out the front of a mass of people, a mixture of hybrids and werewolves, all eagerly waiting to hear what he had to say. Hayley stood a little behind him, also staring down the mass. They had all come together for a meeting that Tyler had called.

"I hope most of you have an idea as to why I brought you here tonight." Tyler projected his booming voice over the crowd. He sounded angry, but most of all he sounded threatening, his voice pierced the guts of the whole crowd.

Nobody answered, only some shifted their weight as they stood, avoiding making any eye contact with the tall authorities of Hayley and Tyler.

"I've made this meeting so you can all see what I can't ignore!" He yelled.

Suddenly Tyler ran down to the pack and grasped a younger man by the neck – strangling him. He immediately reacted by trying to pull him away, and gasping with his mouth wide open – trying to breathe the little air he had – but Tyler was too strong. His eyes became glazed over with fear and he tried to scream, but not a sound could escape. Tyler dragged him back up to Hayley and as the man was dragged closer to Hayley, Hayley's face became covered in shock and she had to turn away from the man, she didn't want to know who it was.

"All of you have failed me." Tyler was now screaming, tightening his fist on the man's neck "Klaus was supposed to be dead by now and all of you have let him slip between your fingers…. Well I can assure you, that this man won't slip through mine."

Tyler lifted the man off the ground and he began thrashing against him, but he didn't let go. At that, an older woman in the crowd began sobbing.

"Stop! Please stop!" She screamed trying to push through the crowd, but an older man held her back, knowing that if she went to Tyler – she'd be killed too. She must have been the man's mother, as she was shaking and staring at her son with a panic washed over her face.

"Think of this man as an example." Tyler yelled over the gasps and screams of the crowd. "A metaphor or a symbol, if you will …that I am a forgiving person."

Tyler dropped him to the ground and he scrambled on the floor as a wave of relief washed away the grief of the crowd. The man held his neck and tried to refill his lungs with the air he thought he would never taste again.

He then began to stand up, but as he did, Tyler followed on. "But there are some things I can't forgive."

The man suddenly turned his eyes from Tyler and to the crowd, to see his mother for the very last time, before Tyler pulled his heart out, and his once strong body fell limply to the ground at Hayley's feet.

Only then, did Hayley find the courage to look down upon Tyler's victim.

It was Luke.

Tyler's strained voice broke Hayley out of her state of shock.

"He betrayed us all." Tyler's voice was quieter now, almost shocked at himself- shocked at what he had done. The sobs and moans of the grieving family of Luke filled his head as he stared down at the body. "He betrayed us all… He… He was the messenger that informed Elijah Mikaelson about our plans."

Tyler's voice grew now, becoming stronger as he tried to defend his murder. "I did what had to be done!" He now yelled again, madness and panic in his voice. "We kill Klaus right now. I'll go myself with a division of you all and we end this original tonight!"

* * *

Klaus sat alone in the living room of the hotel, while Caroline slept upstairs. He had deprived her of her home for another full day and he planned to take her home as soon as the sun rose in the morning.

He wanted to sleep but he couldn't. His heart was so flustered from Caroline and how her memory kept flooding back to her, but only like a flash of lightning, it was gone before you could even realize it was there.

He had come up with a theory as to why his compulsion hadn't worked.

He had seen repeatedly throughout his life incidents where vampires who didn't _want_ to compel someone try to and find themselves unable to do it properly.

He had heard a story of a vampire named Kristopher that compelled his enemy, George to kill his mother, but Kristopher didn't want to do it, his conscious was too strong, and George never had to go through with it; the compulsion had failed.

Of course he hadn't truly wanted to compel Caroline to forget about him, but he did what was best for her, ignoring his selfish desires. But now that he didn't truly believe it himself, she didn't either.

He hadn't seen it coming, he was the most powerful creature in the whole world – there was no way that his compulsion failed. But it did. And now he was paying the price.

His daze was interrupted by barely audible sounds from outside his room. The apartment block has a series of staircases from each of the levels, and Klaus could hear the light tapping of feet on the staircases. It would have been passed off as a patron returning to their rooms, but Klaus had a bad feeling, and he slowly rose from his couch.

He walked to the door and unlatched it, turning to look up the staircase inside; hoping and praying Caroline remained asleep, as she was so fatigued. He walked out of the door and looked all around the surrounding apartment block, but it was empty. There was something inside him though that told him he couldn't ignore what he had heard, so he shut the apartment door behind him and remained outside, guarding the door to Caroline. A rattle of the metal staircase going up to the next level sounded and Klaus leaned over the bannister to look up at the next level of rooms, he could have sworn he saw a shadow of a man. As Klaus leaned back and looked across from him, he saw a dark hooded figure on the other side of the apartment block – staring back at him.

Klaus cocked his head to the side as he stared back at the figure and tensed his jaw; he knew that whoever it was wanted trouble.

Klaus walked as far forward as he could before hitting the railing and said out to the figure, "I wouldn't."

But the figure made no reply, it only lifted an arm and put a finger to it's lips, gesturing for silence.

All of a sudden two men had gripped Klaus from both sides and they lifted him up and over the railing, so he fell to the ground three stories below. Klaus jumped back up and was faced with Tyler Lockwood.

"I've come to do the dirty work myself." Tyler smiled.

"You shouldn't have." Klaus spat back at him.

"Oh why not?"

"Because I'm going to kill you."

Tyler lunged at Klaus, but he retaliated and sped to the other side of the quadrangle in the open area of the apartments.

Another man ran to Tyler and handed him a white oak stake and a cold shiver ran through Klaus at the sight of it.

"Where did you get that?" Klaus yelled at him from a distance, suddenly not finding the courage to approach him.

"I have my ways, Klaus. Just about everybody in the modern world wants you dead and I have found help easily enough" Tyler replied, tapping the stake against his other hand.

"Do you _really _think you can kill me?" Klaus laughed.

"Maybe not alone, you're right. But with help I can." As Tyler spoke, dozens of hybrids and werewolves crept out of the shadows... to say Klaus was outnumbered was an understatement.

Klaus knew he was doomed, he tried to run but he was surrounded. He refused to call for Caroline's help, they didn't know she was still here and he would leave it that way… otherwise Caroline could be killed.

Klaus ran to Tyler, he had to get rid of the stake but as he ran bodies came and pushed him to the floor so he was kneeling before Tyler and his hands were being held behind his back.

Tyler lifted up the stake and just as he was about to stab it through Klaus's heart, a girl appeared between Klaus and Tyler, and she drove her body through the stake, a human body shield for Klaus.  
"Caroline!" Klaus screamed as she bent forward holding the stake that was plunged into her chest.

Caroline staggered forward and Tyler had to catch her from falling over. As his arms gripped her shoulders holding her up, Caroline lifted her head to stare at Tyler with shocked and frightened eyes and her mouth open from the pain.

"Caroline?" Tyler cried with a lump in his throat as he tried to speak. "Caroline, you weren't supposed to be here."

"Why did you do this to me?" Caroline stuttered out through the gasps for air and of pain escaping from her lips.

Caroline staggered back away from him and fell backwards into Klaus's arms and Klaus slowly lowered her to the ground.

"Get out of here, all of you!" Tyler screamed to the hybrids and werewolves and they slowly backed away, shocked at what they had seen, before turning and running again back into the shadows.

Klaus then ran up to Tyler and invaded all the surrounding space Tyler had around him.

"You're lucky she cares about you." Klaus whispered into Tyler's ear, and then shoved him away. "Get out before I change my mind."

Tyler began to hyperventilate and looked behind Klaus to see the body of Caroline lying on the ground, almost looking lifeless. He couldn't bear to think that he was the cause of her death, so he ran away and never looked back.

Klaus ran back to Caroline and inspected the stake. He couldn't tell if it was in her heart or not, there was such thin boundary around it he couldn't be sure.

"Klaus?" Caroline rasped.

"Why did you do that, Caroline?" Klaus shouted as he tried to stop the bleeding now pouring from her chest. He didn't mean to sound angry, but he didn't know if he was about to lose the woman he loved.

Then a thought occurred to Klaus, if Caroline was about to die, then he needed to tell her. He needed her to know – he couldn't live with himself if she died never knowing how much he loved her.

_Then he realized that he couldn't live without her at all._

"Caroline you have to know." Klaus said as he lifted her and placed her head in his lap, wiping the blood from her chin; which was now pouring from her mouth. "I did something I wish I had never done-"

"Shh." Caroline smiled back at him. Caroline stopped and gripped the stake, arching her back from the pain of the splinters in her body. "I want you to know, that I love you. I always have, even when I didn't realize it. I don't know why I do – but I do. I realized as soon I saw you about to die, I was terrified about losing you, I couldn't lose you."

Caroline then began to weep as she stared into the eyes of a man who didn't think he was worthy of love, and yet she had laid out her life for him. But looking back into the confused and frightened eyes of him, it seemed that it still wasn't enough to make him see.

Caroline smiled through her tears and then she fell unconscious.

"No… No… No!" Klaus screamed as he tried to shake her awake again. He pulled the stake out of chest, but he still didn't know if it had reached her heart. "Caroline, please don't leave me here."

Klaus hugged the limp body to his own, knowing that whether or not the stake had pierced Caroline's heart, the only way he could tell would be to wait.

Wait to see if she would wake up again.

Klaus's own life depended on it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey Guys! **  
**Hope you like the chapter! **  
**Please leave reviews! and I do hope you enjoy Klaroline in this chapter ;) **

* * *

Caroline could remember Klaus holding her in his arms while she tried her best to stay conscious. She had tried to comfort him, but the fear in his eyes wouldn't dissipate. It was that fear, that expression plastered on his face that made her remember… and when she fell unconscious, it was _that_ memory which came to her in her sleep.

* * *

"Nik?" Caroline laughed, searching the mansion for Klaus.

She had been looking for him ever since he had invited her over. He must have been playing some silly game.

"Nik?! Where are you?" Caroline cried in happiness, searching in different rooms and running down hallways. "Fine! I see how it is. You think because you're some big bad original, you can hide from me!"

Caroline turned on herself and sped down the hallway, and skipping up the grand hall stairs. She turned and started to sneak down a hallway, barely making a sound.

"Caroline." Came a grave, dark, voice from behind her.

Suddenly her whole body shivered as a hand touched her arm and she turned to look at Klaus, a smirk hinting on her lips. But… something was wrong. His eyes were full of fear, almost agony and his jaw was clenched.

"Nik, what's wrong? Are you hurt? What's happened?" Caroline asked. At that, she noticed he was crying, silent tears dragging down his cheeks. Her hands instantly went to wipe them away and he closed his eyes as she did.

"I'm so sorry Caroline. I'm so sorry." Klaus grasped her hands in his own and took them away from her face.

"Nik, you're scaring me, please, what's going on?" She cried.

"Caroline" Klaus calmly said – and suddenly Caroline's mind was no longer hers. She tried to fight against the compulsion, but she couldn't.

"You will forget all the love you feel for me and all the moments we shared together in love. From this point on you will look at me with the same feelings as you had when we first knew each other. You will look at me as the man that killed Jenna and destroyed Elena's life. You will no longer care about me, and you will no longer love me."

* * *

Caroline awoke with a start and Klaus was instantly at her bed, running from the other side of the room from where he had been sitting – waiting for her to wake up. Caroline quickly pulled herself up and sat against the header of the bed.

"Caroline, are you alright?" Klaus asked, trying to take her hands in his own, his eyes had lit up a wave of relief washed over his face.

But Caroline took her hands away from his and she shifted away from him and Klaus tilted his head to the side.

"Caroline?" He asked. He could see on her face a bewildered look of shock.

"Tell me what you did." Caroline whispered.

"What?" Klaus shook his head, trying once again to get close to her.

Caroline was then at the other side of the room, holding herself against the wall as Klaus still sat at the bed.

"Tell me what you did!" Caroline now screamed at him. Her voice filled with panic and anger.

Klaus slowly stood up, trying to be as still as possible. He put his hands out in front of him.

"What are you talking about?" Klaus said, trying to approach Caroline – but she only ran to the other side of the room.

"Don't touch me." Caroline spat at him.

"Caroline I don't know what you're talking about." Klaus said quietly, now backing away from her.

"Just stop!" Caroline screamed at him. "Stop lying to me!" She then ran to him and pushed him back with all her force.

Klaus stumbled back, unprepared at her sudden burst of rage.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Caroline lowered her voice to a threatening murmur. "I remember what you did to me. I dreamt about it."

Klaus caught his breath and he lowered his eyes.

"Look at me and say it!" Caroline raised her voice again.

Klaus didn't answer.

"Say it!" Caroline screamed.

"I compelled you!" Klaus now yelled at her, shooting his head up to stare at her.

Caroline didn't answer.

"I compelled you." He repeated, quietly.

"To do what?" Caroline murmured.

"You already know." He replied.

"Say it." Caroline ordered.

The room went silent again, as Klaus clenched his jaw and breathed heavily. Caroline did know at that moment. She knew what he had done, she only needed  
Klaus to admit it.

"I compelled you to forget about the love we once shared for each other." Klaus whispered, his voice catching.

"Why?" she asked.

"It was to keep you safe." Klaus replied.

Caroline dropped herself to the floor and put her head in her hands.  
Klaus tried to reach out to her but she pushed him away.

"That wasn't your decision to make." Caroline cried.

"I'm no good for you Caroline. You've been here with me for only a few days and you've nearly been killed twice. Do you see why I had to do it? I'm a monster." Klaus walked backwards and slid down the wall he leaned against, so he too was on the floor. "My past - what I've done – it will never leave me alone. I can't be saved from this web of my own personal destruction. Nobody, especially you, Caroline, deserves that kind of darkness."

"You loved me." Caroline whispered.

"I still do." Klaus intervened.

"Anybody who is capable of love… is capable of being saved." Caroline said to him.

Klaus breathed in, his breath shook and his eyes began to water.

Caroline shifted over to Klaus and wiped away his tears.

"Caroline, I shouldn't." Klaus whispered.

Caroline dropped her hands to the floor and turned to move away, but Klaus caught her hand in his own and pulled her back.

"I shouldn't… But I need to." Klaus whispered.

Klaus put his arms around Caroline's waist and pulled her close to him, while Caroline put her arms around his neck - and they pulled each other into a tight  
hug.

It felt as if they had stayed there for hours, but neither of them wanted to let go. Caroline had nuzzled her head into Klaus's shoulder and Klaus's hand was softly running up and down her back.

Eventually Caroline pulled back and rested her forehead against Klaus's.

"What are we going to do?" Caroline whispered.

"I don't know." Klaus replied.

Klaus then pushed once again against her back and Caroline moved her hands to either of his shoulders. They moved so slowly and so carefully to one another, it was barely visible.

"Are you sure about this?" Klaus asked, his strong arms holding Caroline to him.

"No." Caroline answered. At that, she tilted her head to the side and moved her own lips closer to Klaus's. They both stopped once they nearly touched, unsure about what the ramifications of this kiss would bring, but they couldn't deny what they wanted.

At last, their lips came together and an explosion of joy came rushing through them both. Caroline was sitting on Klaus's lap and he was hugging her whole body to him as they finally could kiss each other, something that was so familiar to them, it must have been unforgettable.

A sharp knock on the door interrupted them and they both sprang up, trying to pat down their now ruffled hair and smiling at each other.  
Klaus walked over to the door and answered it, which Rebekah and Kol came bursting through.

"Honestly, Klaus, do you realize how difficult it is to find you?! Where have you been and what have you been doing?" Rebekah scolded her shocked brother.

"More like who have you been doing?" Kol snickered as he spotted Caroline standing - stunned in the corner.  
Rebekah turned to also see Caroline. "What the bloody hell happened to you?!" Rebekah remarked once she saw Caroline covered in blood.

"Kinky." Kol smirked, turning to Klaus.

"Actually, Kol, Caroline saved me from being stabbed in the heart with a white oak stake." Klaus answered.

"I'll go clean myself up." Caroline announced awkwardly, running to the bathroom, saving herself from the three pairs of original eyes that were on her.

"They have a white oak stake?!" Rebekah said.

"Yes, and if it wasn't for Caroline I'd be dead because of it." Klaus answered.

"This is a much bigger war we're fighting in now. We've got to get Elijah." Kol said, turning to his phone and walking out the front door.  
Rebekah turned to Klaus and lifted her eyebrows at him.

"Well, well, well, that didn't last long." Rebekah smirked at Klaus.

"Shut up, Rebekah." Klaus pushed her out the front door to join Kol, and once she was gone, a slight smile came across his lips.

* * *

Elijah awoke with Katherine's body pulled up against him under his arm. He could only hope that what they had done previously hadn't been a mistake. Elijah took his hand and gently caressed Katherine's hair, savoring in the moment of this beautiful woman tucked underneath his arm.  
His phone ringing from outside the door in the lounge area interrupted his moment of trance.  
_Great. _Elijah sighed and slowly maneuvered out from the bed without awakening Katherine. He pulled on a blue robe and stepped out into the lounge room, which was becoming bathed in the warm, yellow sunlight.

"Hello?" Elijah answered the phone.

"We've got a problem." Kol's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Yes?"

"It seems that the werewolves have a white oak stake."

"I thought they were all gone."

"We all did, until Klaus was nearly killed by one. You need to come help us fight them, we can't do it without you – there's hundreds."

"I can't leave at the moment." Elijah said.

"What could you be doing that possibly more important than this?" Kol remarked.  
_Family above all else._

"Nothing. Nothing." Elijah said, sighing.

"Well then we'll see you soon." Kol replied.

"Yes, of course." Elijah said, glancing back at the door.

Elijah hung up the phone and walked back into his room to get his suitcase.  
He silently wrote a note in the kitchen and left it on the bench which read:  
_Thank you for last night.  
I apologize, but I have to go to New Orleans – emergency.  
Elijah x_

And at that, he was gone.

* * *

Katherine eventually awoke alone in the bed in an empty room. She instantly felt that something was wrong.  
She walked out of the room and searched the rest of the apartment, not being able to find him.

"Elijah?" Katherine said, wondering where he was.

As she waited in the apartment throughout the day her worry and agitation grew. It wasn't until much later in the day that she found the note and immediately left Panama City.  
She wasn't going to let him leave her; she had already lived a life without him before and it wasn't something she ever wanted to do again. She had to show him that he could trust her with anything and that he could share anything with her.

Upon her arrival at New Orleans, she immediately got a room in one of the hundreds of hotels in the French Quarter. She then only wandered the streets, hoping that maybe by come force of the universe she would bump into Elijah – but it never happened. Instead she resided into a bar and tried to drink her anxiety away. It was still the mid afternoon and the bar was practically empty, but a woman who sat across the bar kept staring at Katherine, although she had never seen her before. Eventually the woman approached Katherine.

"Is it you, Katerina Petrova?" The woman asked quietly, smiling kindly.

"I don't go by that name anymore, but sure." Katherine answered, confused as to who the woman was.

Suddenly the woman slapped Katherine hard against the face and being unprepared it threw Katherine to the side.  
She turned back with her eyes fully black and the veins under her eyes pulsating out.

"My son is dead because of you!" She spat at Katherine.

"You're Georgina." Katherine suddenly remembered. She had heard about her, she was Luke's mother.

"I hope you realize what you've done." Georgina threatened and then walked out of the bar.

_So Luke was dead because of what I did. Because of what Elijah made me do. _

Suddenly Katherine was filled with anger, she knew Luke was going to be punished for telling her the secrets of the pack, but she hadn't grasped that Luke was killed because of it.

Now Katherine wanted to find Elijah, but no longer to be with him… but to kill him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey Readers!  
I am so so so so sorry I didn't update last week!  
I have had school exams on and things got a bit hectic.  
Please forgive me!  
I hope you like the chapter!  
Thanks guys :) **

* * *

Caroline, Klaus, Rebekah and Kol all sat awkwardly in the living room of the small hotel block Klaus had been staying in with Caroline. Nobody had spoken and the room was filled with a now not-so-funny tension between the siblings, all the while Caroline sat across the room fiddling with her hands.  
She had no clothes other than her ripped and blood-stained ones and despite the fact she had showered, she still felt horrid. Rebekah and Kol refused to leave; they had said that Elijah shouldn't be that long, only perhaps a few hours – which to vampires was only a few minutes.  
So here they all were, sitting unnaturally still on the various chairs throughout the warm and musty room.  
Klaus had tried to catch Caroline's eyes but she only stared own at her hands. He could tell she was uncomfortable. He didn't know how she felt about the compulsion, he knew that it hurt her, but then why did she kiss him?  
Klaus subconsciously brushed his knuckles against his lips.

"Right, well, as much as I'd love to sit here and wait… I've got to get out this room." Rebekah announced and stood up from her seat.

"I'm not going anywhere." Kol replied, sitting back lazily in his chair and flipping through an old newspaper.

"Nik, are you really just going to let Caroline sit in that bloody outfit?!" Rebekah said over to Klaus. Caroline shot up her eyes to look at Klaus.

"Oh no really I'm fi-" Caroline tried to speak with Rebekah cutting her off.

"We're going shopping!" Rebekah smiled and walked over to Caroline and grabbed her hand.

Rebekah began to drag the flustered Caroline to the door, but Klaus appeared in front of the door, a worried look on his face.

"Rebekah, there are people out there who want Caroline dead, I'd appreciate it if you didn't take her away from me." Klaus asked politely.

"I think I'm capable enough to handle a few puppies." Rebekah scoffed. "Come on, move out of the way."

"You can come with us if you want?" Caroline said to Klaus.

"No he can't. Shopping is girl time." Rebekah turned to Caroline. "We'll come back as soon as we're done, Nik."

Rebekah pushed Klaus out of the way and dragged Caroline out of the door.

"Take my money." Klaus said after them, holding out his wallet.

"No, Klaus, I couldn't." Caroline smiled back at him.

"It's the least I can do." Klaus reassured.

"Alright then!" Rebekah laughed and snatched the wallet from Klaus.

Caroline shrugged her shoulders and gave Klaus an excited smile before stepping lightly down the stairs of the hotel to join Rebekah.

* * *

Elijah pulled up to the hotel that Kol had told him about in a polished black Mercedes, which contrasted greatly with the cheap, dirty cars that filled the car park.

He sped up the staircase and knocked on the room door, which was opened by a very tense looking Klaus.

"I came as soon as I could." Elijah spoke as Kol also reappeared behind Klaus.

"I say we attack tonight." Kol declared and pushed Klaus out of the way so that Elijah could come inside.

"Caroline and I haven't rested properly for days. I won't be able to fight tonight." Klaus said with a tired sigh, which was greeted with a sly snicker from Kol.

"The longer we wait the more of a threat we are risking, Nik." Elijah warned whilst sitting on a chair inside.

"I can't attack tonight!" Klaus said impatiently. "If we all stay together then we can protect ourselves for one more night."

"Speaking of which, where is Rebekah and Caroline?" Elijah asked.

"Rebekah took Caroline shopping an hour ago, they haven't retuned yet." Kol smirked.

"Rebekah up to her old habits I see then..." Elijah said calmly, noticing the dark look that shadowed across Klaus's face.

"Niklaus?" Elijah asked Klaus. "What is going on with Caroline?"

Klaus didn't answer.

"Kol would you mind giving your brothers a moment?" Elijah asked turning to Kol.

"Fine then. You do realize I'll just be listening anyway?" Kol sighed. He then walked to the front door and stood out on the staircase, shutting the door behind him.

"Well?" Elijah pressured.

"I don't know what to tell you." Klaus muttered. "She remembered everything when she woke up this morning."

"Ah… I see." Elijah sighed. "And?"

"It's like she didn't even care." Klaus shook his head, confused.

"Why is that a bad thing?" Elijah asked.

"Because I shouldn't be allowed to have her again. I don't deserve her, and I was counting on her hating me. That was the only way I would be able to stay away from her, Elijah. But now that she doesn't even care, how am I supposed to find the willpower to stop myself?" Klaus rested both his hands on a small table next to him and hunched his shoulders over.

"You and I both know that Caroline isn't one to be pushed around. I doubt your petty worries are even in her mind at all." Elijah replied softly.

"Well they should be." Klaus grinded his teeth after he spoke.

"So what are you going to do?" Elijah pushed.

"I don't know." Klaus shook his head and lifted one of his fists to bang it down on the table again. "I don't know."

* * *

"This is nice!" Rebekah smiled holding up a beautiful laced black evening dress she had found on a rack in the store they were in.

The two of them had already been shopping for over an hour and Caroline had already bought a simple purple shirt. It was a cheap buy, but she didn't want to spend any of Klaus's money so she insisted on using the torn twenty dollar note she still had in her pocket. Caroline and Rebekah had only been talking about the casual banter of prom and graduation, gossiping over girls in their year and discussing different garments they each saw – nothing of real substance.

Caroline gasped when she looked at the dress.

"It's stunning! But I don't need an evening dress, all I need is a pair of jeans." Caroline smiled sweetly.

"Oh come on! Try it on! We don't have to buy it." Rebekah encouraged Caroline. "You know you want to."

"Fine!" Caroline laughed and took the dress off Rebekah and walked into a change room.

Rebekah was going out of her way to be friendly to Caroline. Before the compulsion Rebekah had always been harsh to Caroline – she knew that. Frankly, it was probably due to jealousy. Caroline was perfect as a vampire, it was a blessing not a curse. She could handle her thirst and her emotions and even as a vampire, Caroline still seemed all together human. Rebekah wanted to be Caroline, or at least, be able to live like Caroline. But once Caroline was gone, Klaus fell apart and Rebekah watched him turn from Nik to someone dark and angry and depressed. It was once Caroline was gone that Rebekah realized how important she was – and now that she was back, Caroline was going to make sure she would stay.

After a few minutes Caroline emerged in possibly the most stunning dress she had ever worn. It was black silk that hugged her waist and then draped in the bottom to the floor, with a long split in the side of the dress. It was covered with light black lace that stretched down her whole arm length, lightly creating soft patterns on her porcelain skin. It had a low V-neck and an open chest that was bordered with more fine lace embroidery, curving in and out down her chest.

Caroline did a quick turn on the spot and beamed a smile to Rebekah.

"Oh my god, Caroline. You look exquisite." Rebekah said in awe.

Caroline simply laughed and turned to look at herself in the mirror.

"You have got to wear black more often." Rebekah whispered, still shocked at just how perfect this dress looked.

Rebekah was right, the pure black of the silk and lace contrasted so perfectly with her flawless skin and golden hair and Caroline simply looked picture-perfect. Of course, Caroline would never have picked something like this out herself; Caroline was always the one to be wearing bright colours and relatively conservative dresses. Being Miss Mystic Falls, Caroline was always the one to play the sweet Disney princess with her beaming white smile and cute dimples, perfectly curling her golden hair and wearing colorful ball gowns. But now, standing in the mirror and looking at the girl in front of her wearing a slinky, black laced dress - Caroline could see who she always wanted to be.

She was the girl that was dark and sultry, mysterious and dangerous, the girl that could just as easily touch your heart than break it and the girl that belonged with someone just as dark, someone just as dangerous.

"I love it." Caroline muttered quietly in astonishment, still bemused by this different girl staring back at her.

"We have to buy it." Rebekah proclaimed, ushering Caroline back into the change room.

"No, Rebekah, I couldn't, it's way too expens-" Caroline tried to defend herself.

"See if I care, Caroline." Rebekah interrupted. "I'm buying this dress whether you like it or not."

"I have nothing to wear it to!" Caroline cried.

"You never know what might come up." Rebekah smiled. "Stop stressing about the stupid dress. Trust me, if Nik saw you right now, in this dress, he'd probably buy the whole store for you."

Caroline suddenly stopped walking and caught her breath at Klaus's name.

"Sorry, Caroline, I know it's none of my business." Rebekah scolded herself.

"No, no it's fine." Caroline smiled.

"How did you find out? About what he did, I mean." Rebekah asked.

"I'm not sure, parts slowly began to come back to me, randomly. The this morning when I woke up I just knew." Caroline replied. "Mostly everything is still missing though. I can't remember anything actually about our relationship, only tiny fragments of it."

"Why don't you hate him?" Rebekah genuinely asked, she hadn't meant to ask the question but it came out before she had time to think.

Caroline stayed silent for a few moments.

"I don't know. There are parts of me that do hate him, or at least hate what he did. He took away my free will and he made a decision for my own life that I had no control over – and I do hate him for that. I hate the fact that he still hasn't seemed to grasp how much it killed me… but most of all I hate the fact that he even had the ability to do it in the first place. I mean, how important could I have been to him if he could so easily shut me out of his life?" Caroline said quietly to Rebekah.

"You must know, Caroline, that my brother loves you more than he's ever loved anybody before in his whole life. I don't have the capacity to describe to you how unwilling Nik became to even live after you were gone. He pined for you, more than you could ever imagine and I know that for a fact because I had to witness it. I had to witness him literally crumble to tiny pieces in his own misery. He never wanted to see you go, he didn't just shut you out, he thinks he's doing it for your safety. And something that you wouldn't have known, that I don't think even Nik knows himself – is that compelling you has been the biggest regret of his whole life. It ripped his soul apart and killed him a thousand times over to know that his sadness was the cause of his own decision." Rebekah shook her head and sighed.

"But he still won't let me in." Caroline whispered.

" I know. But he will." Rebekah gave Caroline a soft smile.

* * *

Caroline and Rebekah walked the streets of New Orleans, making their way back to the hotel. Caroline was wearing her newly bought purple shirt and blue jeans, carrying her new evening gown in a bag slung over her shoulder. Rebekah had also taken the liberty to buy excessive amounts of shower products and makeup since she had her brother's money to spend.

"When we get to the door, give the dress to me." Rebekah smiled.

"Why?" Caroline laughed.

"Because I don't want Nik to see it yet, it has to be a surprise!"

"Alright then." Caroline giggled, she loved the idea of surprising Klaus with the dress, but she couldn't think of an occasion when she'd need an evening gown anytime soon.

The more they walked the quieter the both of them became – but it wasn't an awkward silence, it was a comfortable silence. The kind of silence one can only enjoy with someone who is close enough to them.

In the distance, Caroline spotted a young woman she knew she recognized.

"Elena?" Caroline muttered, speeding up her walking pace to see the girl.

Rebekah also spotted the woman, but grabbed Caroline as soon as she saw her.

"That is not Elena, Caroline." Rebekah warned. "That is our dearest friend, Katherine." Rebekah almost spat the name once she said it.

Despite Caroline and Rebekah keeping their distance, Katherine spotted them both and began marching towards them.

"Oh, shit." Rebekah whispered as she tried to turn her back.

"Hello, ladies." Katherine said once she reached them.

"Katherine." Caroline acknowledged her, with a scowl over her face.

"I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" Katherine smiled falsely.

"Why would we help you?" Rebekah scoffed, turning around to see Katherine.

"You know your older brother is quite the romantic." Katherine sneered.

"Oh my god, Elijah?! I do not need to hear this!" Rebekah motioned to her stomach as throw she was going to throw up.

"Oh yes, Elijah and I had fun at Panama City." Katherine laughed.

Caroline stood wide-eyed and shocked at what she was hearing.

_Elijah!? And Katherine?! I would never have picked that…_

"Bloody hell, please stop before I throw up. You two were in Panama City together?! What's this damn favor?" Rebekah spoke quickly.

"Take me to him." Katherine asked.

"Fine, I can't be bothered arguing with you anyway. Just follow us we're going there now." Rebekah scorned at Katherine.

* * *

A sharp knock on the door intruded on the silent room of Klaus, Elijah and Kol, who had all settled in reading various things or simply sitting and thinking inside.

Klaus rushed over to the door and opened it to the happy and bright looking face of Caroline.

"You look beautiful." The words escaped Klaus's mouth before he could stop them and Caroline smiled sweetly.

"It's only simple, but it'll do." Caroline laughed, turning on the spot.

Rebekah followed in the door, subtly carrying the new dress like she had promised and behind her came in a grave looking Katherine.

Klaus instantly tensed upon seeing Katherine and Elijah tried to walk towards her.

"Uh uh uh." Katherine smirked, shaking her head at Elijah when he tried to come closer. "If I were any you I'd stay away from me."

At that Katherine reached into her back and pulled out a white oak stake.

"Did you miss me?" Katherine mocked at Elijah and pointed the stake at everyone throughout the room, who had now begun to back away. "I've had enough of following your rules, Elijah. Time to play the game my way."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey Readers!  
Hope you're still enjoying the fic,  
Please leave reviews, you have no idea how excited I get when you review!  
If you have anything you want to include or any suggestions at all, feel free to message me! I'm writing this for you!  
Thanks guys :)**

* * *

The room was completely still. Klaus's arm rested instinctively across Caroline's torso, barring her from Katherine. Rebekah and Kol stood against the back wall next to a window and Elijah tentatively put his arms up in front of himself in defense.

"Silence…" Katherine seductively whispered and smirked over to Elijah. "You promised I could win Klaus's freedom if I helped you… Well, I have to give it to you, Elijah, that was a good manipulation of me on your behalf. But we _all _know that I'm better at control than you could ever be, it's just in my nature." Katherine then giggled and played with the point of the stake with her fingers.

Caroline was fuming and she tried to step forward to Katherine, but Klaus pushed her back.

"Don't even think about saving my life again." Klaus said aside to her.

"Young love?" Katherine pouted at Caroline and Klaus. "How sweet."

"Caroline has nothing to do with your problems, Katherine, let her go." Elijah calmly tried to reason with Katherine.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Caroline said, stretching her neck to one side to look threatening.

"Yes, you are." Klaus growled.

"No, she isn't." Katherine suddenly yelled, a mad anger in her voice. Katherine raised the stake again to Elijah and her hand began to shake. "I'm sick of being controlled by you and your family. I'll kill you, I will."

Klaus then instinctively tried to lunge at Katherine, but she immediately turned the stake to him and he had to stop himself.

"Nik!" Kol suddenly growled behind them all, emerging from the corner. "You've got something to live for!"

Caroline hadn't seen Kol look so angry before. Usually he was just teasing, but now, now she could see in his eyes anger just as intense as Klaus's.

"Little brother coming to save the day." Katherine laughed. "It seems to me that this family chooses when they can love. One minute you're killing each other and the next you're saving each other."

"Katerina…" Elijah began to plead again.

"Don't call me that! Katerina is gone." Katherine then walked up to Elijah and placed the stake on his skin above his heart. "You want to know why Katerina is gone? Because she spent all her life running from Klaus, and she died on the road. She died when she realized she had to be Katherine to survive."

Katherine only then held the stake in its place and stared into Elijah's eyes.

"Do it." Elijah ordered.

Katherine caught her breath and looked down to the stake. She couldn't.

"Do it." Elijah repeated himself. He then lifted his right hand and placed it on top of Katherine's on the stake. He gripped the stake around her hand and began to lightly push it towards his heart. "Do. It."

Katherine started to breathe heavily and clenched her hand around the stake. Her hand shook as she tried to will herself to push it, she tried with everything she had in her, but she couldn't kill Elijah.

Her eyes flashed up to Elijah's and they were welling with tears.

Elijah softly smiled in response and then all of a sudden, without it being barely noticeable, snapped Katherine's neck.

* * *

Caroline slung her bag over her shoulder and followed Klaus out of the apartment. After the Katherine situation, Klaus had said he was getting Caroline home to Mystic Falls tonight. Elijah had already taken Katherine away to his own apartment - he had said that he wanted to discuss peace treaties with her. Kol was also going to stay in New Orleans, most likely go to more parties and meet more girls, whereas Rebekah was going to back home to Mystic Falls also, but separately.

Caroline and Klaus were going to drive back together, and for a relatively long time.

Caroline climbed into Klaus's car, a silver Aston Martin. She ran her hands over the black interior leather and looked dazed at the middle console of the car, covered in buttons and lights. This had to be the most luxurious car she had ever been in.

"Ready to go?" Klaus asked now also sitting inside the car.

Caroline smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

Instantly the car sped through the streets of New Orleans, away from the bustling energy of the city and towards the safe silence of the road. It was late afternoon and the setting sun bathed a soft glow over the car and Caroline could see the floating dust particles drift throughout the air. She lowered her window and draped her arm out of the car, turning to breathe in the fresh air of the nature they now sped through outside the city.

"Thank you for looking after me." Caroline spoke softly to Klaus.

"Can't say I've done any such thing." Klaus replied gravely.

"Don't be such a grump!" Caroline laughed. "Roadtrip! Woo!"

Caroline moved to the console and pressed a button she had suspected of being the radio, sure enough, music came blasting over the speakers and Caroline laughed and did a little dance to the music.

Klaus laughed in response, and turned down the deafening music.

A half hour passed and Caroline sat back in her seat and closed her window once more, as the light began to drop and the road ahead became dark. The gentle rumbling of the car and the darkness of the set sun meant that Caroline unwillingly fell asleep.

Klaus could tell she was asleep once the shifting around had stopped and frankly he couldn't blame her. They both hadn't slept properly for days and even vampires felt the consequences of sleep deprivation. He couldn't help but turn to look at her while she slept, she was so peaceful and so perfectly beautiful. However, the more he drove, the more dazed he became and once it was about 11 at night, he had to pull over. Klaus drove to a small town motel and stopped the car.

Caroline naturally awoke to the stilling of the car and she looked over to Klaus.

"I couldn't keep driving, love. I'll get us a room for the night." Klaus said as he left the car.

Caroline opened the car door and awkwardly pushed herself out of the car, still half asleep. Suddenly Klaus was at her side, taking on her hands in his own and gently leading her dazed self to the reception of the motel.

"Room for two?" Klaus's soothing voice came singing through the room and Caroline slightly leant on Klaus's arm as the receptionist got them their key, she remained leaning on him while he led her up to the room and opened the door. The room was simple and bland, but a large double bed was placed in the center of the room and once Caroline saw it she instantly stumbled over to it and fell onto it.

"I've never been so tired." Caroline grumbled into the sheets of the bed, while Klaus locked the front door.

Klaus then wandered uncomfortably around the room, while Caroline lay watching him, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"What are you doing?" Caroline asked Klaus.

"I'm looking around." Klaus answered, lifting his brows.

Caroline looked around the room herself, noticing that there was literally nothing to look at.

"Are you going to sleep?" Caroline speculated.

Klaus then stopped walking and looked at Caroline with an expression she couldn't translate.

"What?" Caroline asked.

"Nothing." Klaus shook his head and sat down on a chair on the other side of the room.

Caroline then sat up and crossed her legs, resting her arms on her knees.

"Well I can't go to sleep if you're just going to sit there." Caroline said, rubbing her hands together.

"Why not?" Klaus asked, slightly annoyed.

"Because you have to sleep too!" Caroline said, crossing her arms.

A smile flashed across Klaus's lips and he unconsciously tilted his head down to look up in a puppy dog face. "I'm fine." He said.

"Ugh." Caroline sighed. "Fine then."

Caroline walked over to the light switch and turned off the main light, so only a small light on a bed table was on. She then curled herself up under the white duvet of the bed and tried to fall asleep.

If it wasn't for her extreme fatigue she would have felt awkward sleeping with Klaus was awake… or maybe it wasn't because of her fatigue at all.  
Caroline lay thinking about Klaus, she unconsciously replayed moments of him in her head, thinking about him like a young teenager and her crush. She pictured him driving his car, his steady, strong eyes fixed on the road and his sturdy grip on the steering wheel. She pictured him smiling, his eyes lighting up just that tiny bit more and his dimples appearing on his cheeks. She pictured him painting, his hands softly moving across the canvas and his eyes held in a concentrated stare. She thought about how Klaus provided this safety net for her, which of course was incredibly ironic. She knew how dangerous he could be, or how dangerous he has been. He's temperamental and violent, even Caroline couldn't predict what he was going to do next. He could be the happiest man in the world one moment and the angriest in the next it just came with his nature. He didn't want to be an evil person, he just looked after his own, like an alpha wolf who cared only about his pack and their safety. As Caroline lay half asleep thinking about Klaus, a memory she hadn't known existed seeped back into her consciousness and she replayed it in her head.

* * *

Caroline had been sleeping in her room before a small sound outside awoke her. It was barely audible, but a feeling woke her up as well, a feeling of uncertainty and of nervousness. She had this weird feeling that Klaus could be around. She had been seeing Klaus more and more recently and though she told herself she hated him, a feeling of interest… a feeling of temptation drew her mind unconsciously to him. She slowly stepped out of her bed, she only wore a small white shirt and blue shorts for pajamas and her bare feet stepped coldly over the timber of her room floor. She walked out to the hallway and silently tip toed down to the front door. She squinted her eyes through the window door but couldn't see anything outside.

_There's definitely somebody here. _Caroline told herself.

She opened the front door slowly and the icy night air flowed into the house as she stepped out onto the concrete area outside her door. The whole street was silent, but Caroline still walked out and stood on her street. She searched around and saw nobody, but she still waited outside in the cold, crossing her arms over her chest and rubbing legs together to warm herself up.

"That's a nice outfit." Came a husky voice from behind her.

Klaus.

Caroline jumped at the voice and turned around to see him.

"Seriously?" Caroline sighed, awkwardly trying to cover herself up while Klaus raised his eyebrows at her and obviously checked her out. "What are you doing?"

"I was just in the neighborhood." Klaus smiled suspiciously. "You're the one who came looking for me."

"Because you're creeping around my house!" Caroline yelled in exasperation.

"Creeping is a strong word…" Klaus smiled.

"Ew!" Caroline shivered. "You're repulsive."

Caroline turned towards her house and marched back towards the front door, but Klaus appeared in front of her at the door, blocking her from going inside.

"Come now Caroline, I know you don't find me repulsive." Klaus whispered to her ear as she stood only inches away from him.

Caroline's breathing instantly shallowed, she'd be lying to say she didn't find him appealing. But she couldn't act on it, no way in hell, not Klaus.

"You're wrong there." Caroline lied. "You're violent, dangerous, obsessive and short-tempered. Like I said, repulsive."

Caroline threw as many insults as Klaus as she could, but he wasn't affected by any of them, and he still wouldn't budge from the front door.

Klaus's eyes suddenly turned more intense.

"Really? So you've never felt the attraction that comes when someone who's capable of doing terrible things, for some reason, cares only about you?" Klaus voice was deep, husky and powerful and it pulled Caroline's attention straight to him.

Klaus was obviously correct; Caroline felt that right now. Klaus was so powerful and dangerous and he had killed an uncountable amount of people; and yet here he was, seducing her… making her feel _special._

Caroline pulled herself away from him, shrugged him off, rolled her eyes at him and pushed through to get inside. As soon as the door closed behind her though she let out the breath she had been holding in and half ran to her room. She didn't care if Klaus was still outside, she slammed her bedroom door and fell onto her bed, holding her head in her arms and a smirk appearing on her lips.

* * *

Caroline could remember that memory so clearly now, and yet it was like it never even existed a few minutes ago. She was confused as to why these memories kept coming back… how many more will come back? How much have I forgotten?

Then a thought occurred to her… if Klaus asked her to forget all the moments she felt something for him… what would be the first memory that was erased? What was the first moment she felt something for him?

As Caroline questioned herself, Klaus quietly stood up from his chair and switched off the light. Klaus thought she was asleep, but she was now actually listening to what he was doing. A weight on the far side of the bed slowly pushed down.

_Weird. _Caroline thought to herself. Caroline wasn't used to the thought of Klaus sleeping. Sleeping was so… normal… and vulnerable.

Caroline turned over so her body was facing in the direction of Klaus and she put her hand underneath her pillow, slightly propping herself up.

"I'm not asleep." Caroline whispered.

"Why not?" Came Klaus's voice through the darkness.

"I remembered something." As soon as Caroline said it, Klaus stilled in the bed. He must have been worried.

"It's not bad." Caroline reassured him. "Well, it's just funny."

"What is it?" Klaus asked, his voice croaky from being so sleepy.

"It was the night you were creeping around my house." Caroline chuckled.

"Creeping is a strong word, Caroline." Klaus smiled in the darkness.

Caroline laughed and subconsciously shifted slightly towards Klaus.

"So you _were _attracted to me that night." Klaus smiled.

"I guess so." Caroline whispered.

It was funny how flustered she still became around Klaus.

"Caroline…" Klaus sounded grave. "Can't you see how dangerous I really am though? You said it yourself I'm short tempered, violent and obsessive. Why can't you see that now? You've been with me not even a week and look how many times you've nearly been killed."

"It's only because of Tyler!" Caroline busted out. "Once we deal with Tyler it'll be fine. Nobody will be after you."

"Do you honestly believe that Tyler is my only enemy?" Klaus threatened. "I've been alive for a thousand years, I've made plenty of enemies. Once Tyler is gone another will come my way and you'll be in danger!"

"Then teach me how to protect myself!" Caroline cried. "I'm not going anywhere Nik, I lost you once, I won't lose you again."

"Nik." Klaus breathed.

Caroline hadn't realized she called him Nik.

"You need to call me that more often." Klaus whispered.

"I'm not used to it." Caroline replied.

"You used to be." Klaus sighed.

"I know." Caroline sighed. "I know."

Caroline then moved closer to Klaus and took his hand in her own. She brushed his rough hands with her own and lifted his hand to her lips and kissed softly on the back of his hand. Klaus reacted by pulling her body to him and brushing her hair away from her face. Caroline leaned her head upwards so that Klaus could lean down and give her a soft kiss. Caroline closed her eyes and Klaus's lips were on hers.

Klaus wrapped his arms around Caroline and pulled her closer to him as they kissed, while Caroline moved one of her hands to the back on Klaus's neck, playing with his hair. As the intensity of the kiss grew Caroline arched her back into Klaus and smiled under his lips. Her other hand traced Klaus's jaw line, feeling his rough stubble under her fingers.

_God, he is hot. _Caroline thought to herself.

After a few moments of kissing, Klaus slowed it down and pulled back.

"We need to sleep." Klaus smiled, somewhat out of breath.

Caroline pouted in the darkness and leaned forward for one last peck of his lips.

She lay down and rested her head on Klaus's sturdy breathing chest and placed her hand next to her head and Klaus wrapped his arms around Caroline.

"Tomorrow, when I finally get you home. I'll do it." Klaus whispered. "If you want to know how to fight, I'll teach you how to fight."

Caroline smiled into Klaus and slowly began to fall asleep, wrapped in his arms.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey Readers,**

**I do really hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Sometimes it's hard to get the words out right…**

**And Kalijah shippers; don't fret. **  
**Thanks guys!**

* * *

Katherine awoke in an unrecognizable bathroom. She was sitting back, rested upon the bathtub and her right wrist was chained to the sink above her. The whole bathroom was brightly white and it blinded her eyes when she became semi-conscious. It looked like an expensive bathroom… she must have been somewhere lavish… no doubt Elijah had brought her here. She weakly pulled against the chains that bound her to the sink and moaned groggily at her failure.

_I tried to kill an original within a room of other originals. How else was that crazy stunt going to end? I'm lucky I'm still alive… _Katherine scolded herself in her haze.

The door to the bathroom was open but she couldn't see anybody outside the room, she must have been alone. Katherine squinted back up to her wrist and desperately began to pull against it.

_If Elijah comes back and I'm still here… who knows what could happen to me. _Katherine began to panic.

With one final burst of power Katherine broke through the chain and she was free from the sink. Dumbfounded at how easy that was, Katherine snuck silently out of the bathroom and into the living room… _empty. _It was an expensive hotel that's for sure. The large windows onlooking the streets were bordered with heavy, blue velvet drapes and the room was filled with glass and crystal lamps and chandeliers hanging from the tall ceiling. In the corner there stood a life size Greek marble statue, and around it was various couches and chairs.

Katherine quietly walked to the window and looked out… she didn't recognize the view. She knew immediately it was New Orleans but she had no idea where her bearings were and she had never seen this area of the city before. Which was very strange… she had been in New Orleans enough times to know all of the hotels in the area… right?

She continued to look around; there were at least four bedrooms, three bathrooms and one _huge _living room.

_This is one nice frickin hotel. _Katherine laughed to herself; of course Elijah had completely indulged in the hotel. He must have booked a penthouse…

Katherine searched for the door out of the rooms, or at least an elevator to get out of there… but to no avail. She could only see more and more rooms, and she increasingly became more and more confused. After a few moments of sneaking around she stumbled across a staircase in the far end of the building's floor. Katherine slightly leant over the banister and could just see more areas down the grand stairs. That's when it finally occurred to Katherine… t_his is not a hotel._

_This is a house…no…. this is a mansion. _

Katherine started to softly patter down the stairs, constantly on look out for anybody, but there was absolutely nobody around. She reached the bottom of the first half of the curving stairs and she walked around the flat ground to peer at another living area of the house. It was ridiculous; themed as red velvet, the furniture sat unused in front of a grand fireplace which was burning a strong orange and red fire which warmed the whole room. Katherine instantly stopped moving. The fireplace… it was being used.  
Almost instantaneously as Katherine's recognition, she was being flung forward down the rest of the staircase, the air knocked out of her lungs and landing with a loud crash onto the hard, marble floor.

"I knew that chain couldn't hold you down." Elijah muttered calmly as he sauntered down the staircase, fixing his cufflinks after throwing Katherine down the stairs. He had, of course, been upstairs the whole time with Katherine, silently watching her and entertaining himself with her confusion.

Katherine groaned into the floor and stumbled back up to a standing position, turning to Elijah with blood red eyes, her veins popping and snarling her fangs at him. Immediately Katherine lunged at him, running towards him at full pelt, but Elijah ran at her as well, grabbing her neck and pushing her up against the back wall. He easily pressed her up against the wall and slightly lifted her off the ground, so all of her weight was being forced upon her strangled neck. Katherine grabbed at Elijah's hands but to no benefit, she was stuck.

"You have a thing for walls don't you?" Katherine choked out, smirking under his hold.

Elijah roared his fangs at her in response. "You betrayed me!" He spoke in a low threatening voice, pushing her even harder into the wall – creating a response of Katherine gasping for air.

"I'm Katherine." Katherine managed to say. "What do you expect?"

"I expect some loyalty." Elijah yelled.

Katherine began to look scared, her smile dropped and she clawed more at Elijah's hands. She wasn't used to seeing him so angry.

"Why do you get loyalty?" Katherine said in a labored whisper.

Elijah didn't answer but threw her down to the ground behind him and stood over her body.

"Where did you get that stake?" Elijah asked, once again composing himself.

"Guess." Katherine spat at him.

Elijah picked her up and pulled her face up to his, so he could whisper in her ear.

"Enough of your games, Katerina. Tell me now."

"The same people who want you all dead." Katherine snarled.

"The werewolves." Elijah didn't ask. He knew.

"I asked if I could help them out." Katherine smirked.

Elijah yelled out an angry cry and threw Katherine over to the other side of the room onto a chair at the fireplace.

"You've become very violent." Katherine said, rubbing her arm that was temporarily broken.

"Let us not forget, Katherine, that even though I may be collected in conversation, I am one of the most powerful creatures in the history of the world." Elijah threatened, his eyes dark with peril.

"Where's the stake?" Katherine asked.

"I. Destroyed. It." Elijah spat at Katherine, a staccato on each word. "You just said you spoke with the werewolves. I suggest you tell me what they're up to so I decide _not_ to kill you."

"I don't know what it is, but I do know that they've done something which will really piss Klaus off." Katherine smiled.

"That's all you can tell me?" Elijah snarled.

"Yep! Well then! I guess I'll be off." Katherine smiled with a sinister look, and strutted towards the grand double doors, opposite the staircase.

Elijah laughed and stood in front of her, blocking her way. He grabbed Katherine around the waist and pulled her into him so his lips were at her left ear.

"You said we were going to play the game your way." Elijah whispered into her ear with a low threatening voice. "But you failed miserably. I suggest you stop fighting your battles alone… it never seems to work out for you."

"What are you getting at, Elijah?" Katherine answered, her voice becoming shallow.

"I think it's time I taught you a little something about loyalty. You may know how to manipulate everybody you meet but you'll find that creating alliances is much better in the future than making competitors. Which is why I suggest you should start to want to be on my side of the fight, Katerina." Elijah's hand traveled up Katherine's back and around her neck, to hold her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "The originals always come out on top."

Elijah then strolled away from her and deeper into the house. "Welcome to my home."

* * *

Caroline and Klaus drove once more in the Aston Martin through the American countryside, getting closer and closer to Mystic Falls. As soon as they had woken up, still in each other's arms, they had decided to keep travelling. It was still daybreak when they set off and now Caroline and Klaus sat in complete silence in the car. They were both hungry, more so, starving. Klaus needed to feed and soon. Caroline on the other hand pretended as though she wasn't thirsty for blood at all… living on a diet of mostly animal blood and blood bags meant that she couldn't drink from the vein, at least, not yet… and with no hospital in site, nor the time to hunt an animal, Caroline knew she didn't have a choice but to drink from the vein if she chose to admit she was hungry. However, Caroline wasn't anywhere near as capable at coping with hunger than Klaus and her constant squirming in her seat and her heavy breathing gave her away.

"Caroline, you need to feed." Klaus spoke to her calmly.

"No I don't!" Caroline snapped at Klaus. She had become exceedingly agitated due to her hunger.

"Caroline, I understand why you're refusing to feed. But I'll be there with you and I'll make sure you don't hurt anybody." Klaus said. He, himself, was becoming agitated now and he wanted this to be a short argument.

"I can't do it, Klaus. I'll just wait until I get to Mystic Falls." Caroline said quietly.

"Well I need to feed. You can stay in the car." Klaus said, sighing. He pulled over to a small café that was isolated in a farming area.

He slowly strolled inside to see a young girl behind the counter; the rest of the café was empty. _Perfect _Klaus thought to himself.

"Excuse me, Miss." Klaus purred, walking to the counter.

"What can I get you?" She smiled up at Klaus, brushing her waved black hair from her eyes.

"Your blood." Klaus whispered, tilting his head and his fangs appearing in his open lips and his eyes becoming dark.

"What?" The smiled at first, but then went white and tried to back away from Klaus. She reached over to grab a kitchen knife and she put it in front of her body, pointing the sharp serrated edge to Klaus.

_Clever. _Klaus thought to himself.

"Don't fight. Don't scream." Klaus calmly spoke, compelling her weak mind.

* * *

Caroline sat alone in the car, tapping her foot on the floor.

_Ugh. I'm starving. _Caroline thought, trying to distract herself by listening to the radio. _All I need is a little blood, just a little bit of blood. _As she thought about it, her fangs grew out of her gums and the veins under here eyes went black.

"Shit." Caroline cried, trying to distract herself from her own mind and her hunger.

So she thought about Klaus. But even as she thought of him, her mind travelled back to how he was currently drinking blood, and how badly she wanted it, and what he would look like feeding from the vein, and how much she wanted to see.

Then curiosity got the better of her.

Caroline stepped out of the car, and walked noiselessly to the café but upon seeing Klaus, she was frozen.

Klaus had his arms wrapped around a young girls waist and her body was standing limply, facing away from him. He had his head nuzzled into the side of her neck and blood was trickling down it. After a few seconds, Klaus pulled back and his lips were glistening with bright red blood. He looked up and breathed out in appreciation, while using one of his hands, to carefully brush the remaining of the girls' long curls from the side of her neck.

Watching him, Caroline was overcome with jealousy. That girl didn't deserve to be even _touched _by Klaus. _No way in hell_ was Caroline going to stand by and watch this, but she couldn't force her body to go the girl, what if she killed her?

During Caroline's inner-war, Klaus sensed somebody watching him and was surprised to see Caroline when he pulled back. She awkwardly stood with her fists clenched and her chest heavily rising and falling because of her tension.

Klaus didn't say anything to her, he only smirked and lifted a hand to his lips and wiped a drop of blood from them. Reacting, Caroline's breathing hitched and she tightened her firsts, straining her whole arms.

Klaus could tell he was driving her crazy, which was exactly the reaction he was after, but he wanted to see how far Caroline could be pushed. He needed to see how willing she actually was to drink form the vein, how willing she was to access that darker part of her. But then again, this was the second time he had to go through this process with her. Of course she doesn't remember, but she had fed from the vein before, not a lot, but a few times. Klaus had helped her do it; it took a long time, if only she would remember now again.

"Caroline, you need to feed." Klaus repeated himself from earlier, only this time Caroline didn't reply… she only stood still, her eyes transfixed on the young girls neck. Klaus didn't dare move, Caroline looked like she was ready to pounce at the girl and she might kill her. Klaus, of course, couldn't care less if she did, but Caroline would hate herself.

"I'm happy to share…" Klaus smirked, laughing at Caroline's intense concentration.

Caroline bit her lip and tried to get rid of the veins under her eyes, but she couldn't deny her needs.

"Yes, thanks." Caroline faked confidence and walked up to Klaus and the girl.

"Here." Klaus said, lifting the young girls arm to Caroline, so that Caroline could drink from her wrist.

Caroline burned her eyes seductively into Klaus's and a smirk hinted at her lips. She pulled the girls arm up to her lips and bit into the skin, closing her eyes. She drank for a few moments, and moaned into her arm.

Caroline then pulled back and slowly wiped a drop of blood from her lips with her forefinger, intensely staring at Klaus.

Without saying anything, Caroline pulled the girls body away from Klaus and into her, so she could drink from the side of her neck. Before she leaned in, she licked her lips and smiled at Klaus. She was teasing him like crazy, and she got the reaction of a clenched jaw and hitched breathing from Klaus that she wanted.

As soon as her fangs pierced into the girls skin again, a memory quickly flashed passed her.

* * *

She was standing in an abandoned alley at night, pushing a young man up against a wall and aggressively feeding from his neck; Klaus was standing next to her and smiling, folding his arms against his chest and watching Caroline. She tried to stop feeding from him, she did, but her vampire instincts were far too strong. Klaus didn't try to stop her, he thought that letting her kill would help her embrace being a vampire… he had no idea of the ramifications. The limp body of the young man fell limply to the floor and Caroline stepped back in shock. She turned her head to Klaus and frantically wiped her bloodstained mouth.

"I just killed a person." She spoke quietly in shock.

* * *

Caroline stopped replaying the memory and pulled back away from the girl.

She wasn't letting that happen again.

"I stopped myself." Caroline smiled to Klaus. She carefully sat the girl down at a table chair. The girl looked blankly at Caroline as Caroline ran to the counter of the café to get napkins.

"You'll be okay." Caroline smiled sweetly at the girl and cleaned the wounds on her neck and wrist. Klaus simply smirked at Caroline, watching her. She was _so caring. _After she was done helping the girl, Caroline stood her up and took her behind the counter. "We were never here."

Caroline turned to Klaus and caught him staring at her.

"What?!" She laughed at him. Klaus didn't reply and she mockingly pursed her lips at him and turned away, walking outdoors to the car.

But as she started walking a hand gripped her arm and pulled her back around and suddenly Klaus's lips were crushing into Caroline's.

She reacted by gripping to his shirt and pulling her closer to him, while he held her head in between her hands. They both felt the kiss so intensely and Klaus pushed Caroline into the back wall of the cafe, pressing all of his weight into her. He pulled his lips away from hers and travelled them down to her neck, planting soft kisses. Caroline closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side so her neck was fully bare, still pulling Klaus closer to her by his shirt. Suddenly, Klaus's fangs pierced into Caroline and she gasped in response. It didn't hurt, well it did hurt… but in a bizarre way. _It felt amazing… no.. more than that… it was euphoric. _Caroline had fed on Klaus on more than one occasion, but she had no idea what it was like on the other side of it… it was like Klaus was holding the life of her in his hands and he could so easily drop it, but she couldn't help but let him. He fed on her for a few moments and Caroline had dropped her head back, breathing heavily in response. Eventually he pulled back and Caroline drew his lips back on hers. Klaus pressed his fist onto the wall behind her and pushed himself back away from her. He laughed at how forward he was becoming with her and his dimples appeared on his cheeks.

"Sorry." Klaus laughed at the still shocked Caroline.

"Don't apologize for that." Caroline breathed, brushing her mussed hair down.

"I really have to get you home." Klaus said, taking Caroline's hand and dragging her back to the car.

* * *

Caroline couldn't stop staring at Klaus in the car, she was in absolute awe of him and she still couldn't get over what he had done before.

"I'm sorry if I shocked you." Klaus smirked, like he was reading Caroline's thoughts. "I forgot that you weren't used to that."

_So he had obviously done that before. _Caroline blushed.

"I'm surprised I forgot about that…" Caroline giggled, brushing her hair with her hands. "I thought you were going to teach me to fight today!" Caroline remembered and scowled at Klaus.

"We both got distracted, Caroline." Klaus chuckled, turning to look at Caroline, who was staring back, her eyes wide.

* * *

After a few more hours of conversation and laughing, they both arrived at Mystic Falls, late at night.

"Home." Caroline breathed out, smiling.

Klaus picked up her bag and opened her car door for her, which was parked outside Caroline's home. They walked together to the front door and Klaus put down her bag so he could pull her into another kiss.

"I'll come see you tomorrow." Klaus whispered and turned to walk back to his car.

Caroline smiled after him and then turned to the front door to go inside, no doubt her mother would have the whole of the Mystic Falls police force out looking for her. In fact, Caroline hadn't even thought about contacting her mother.

"Shit." Caroline swore under her breath.

She knocked on the door, but it wasn't closed properly and it slowly swung open from the force of Caroline's knock.

"Mum?" Caroline called out in the house. She dumped her bag by the front door inside and looked around the house. "Mum?!"

Caroline walked to her kitchen and immediately noticed that a glass was smashed on the bench and a knife was lying next it.

"Mum?" Caroline called again, panicked.

She ran to the living room and noticed that her mothers gun was lying on the floor in front of a chair lying on its side.

_Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. _Caroline hyperventilated.

Caroline ran outside again as Klaus was just about to drive away.

"Klaus!" Caroline screamed at the car.

He jumped out of the car and ran to her.

"What's wrong?" Klaus asked, clenching his jaw and looking over her head to back inside the house.

"I can't find my mum. There's something wrong. The house wasn't locked and things are smashed and she doesn't have her gun with her." Caroline panicked, turning back to the house, as panicked tears run down her cheeks. "What happened to her?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey Guys! **  
**Hope you are all have lovely weeks. **  
**So I thought about Joseph Morgan's tattoos, and you will NOT BELIEVE how much they are meant for Klaus.** **Just read the chapter and find out, you will be amazed! **  
**Enjoy the Chapter! **  
**p.s. Just a warning, I begin school again tomorrow and it makes things a little more difficult. I will do everything I can to get them up in a week, but please be patient! I promise you will never have to wait too long! **

* * *

"I have to call her." Caroline spoke quickly, pushing away from Klaus and running inside to her house.

Klaus followed swiftly behind, looking back at the street one last time to check for anybody, before closing the front door behind him.

"She's not picking up!" Caroline was flustered and running her hands through her hair. "I shouldn't have been gone for so long. This is my fault."

Klaus sighed and carefully took the phone away from Caroline.

"Sit. Down." Klaus said clearly, he looked serious and so Caroline dejectedly obeyed, sitting down on the kitchen chair.

Klaus walked around the house in hope of finding anything that might explain Liz's disappearance; but everywhere Caroline had been previously…he couldn't find a thing. Klaus then began walking to Caroline's room but he sensed Caroline following him.

"I told you to sit down." Klaus said plainly as he turned around to face her.

"Well, I don't want to." Caroline cried. "Why does it matter anyway?"

_Because I don't want you to find anything. _Klaus wanted to speak aloud.

Klaus tilted his head to the side and begrudgingly turned so Caroline could walk ahead of him into her room.

The door swung quickly forward and Caroline walked slowly in. Klaus ran up behind her and looked over her. Thankfully, the room was empty… empty except for a photo placed carefully on the middle of her bed. At first, Caroline didn't spot it, but Klaus went to pick it up.

It was a smiling photo of Carol Lockwood and scribbled over the photo was a handwritten message of "Revenge is sweet."

Klaus instantly tensed and tried to hide the photo in his pockets, but Caroline caught him.

"What's that?" Caroline said quietly, keeping her distance. Her mind was telling her it was something she didn't want to know about.

Klaus didn't reply; he only looked sadly back at Caroline, slightly shaking his head.

"It's why I wanted you to sit down out there." Klaus spoke rough and low, still staring at Caroline.

Caroline swallowed and tensed her jaw.

"Show me." Caroline ordered, approaching Klaus with her arm outstretched.

Klaus sighed.

"Nik!" Caroline suddenly burst out and further stretched out her arm.

Klaus closed his eyes and gave her the picture before turning around to quickly walk out of her home.

"Revenge is sweet?" Caroline whispered under her breath. "What does it me-"

A memory coming back to her interrupted her train of thought.

* * *

Caroline sat in her room at her desk, slowly working through her biology textbook. The winter wonderland party of Mystic Falls had drawn to a close and she sat quietly in her room. Earlier that night, Tyler was threatening Klaus with the hybrids, he had turned a few of them against him. It was then that Caroline realised her current situation hadn't only just began. Tyler had always been aiming to ruin Klaus.

As she sat reading, her phone buzzed and she looked at a new message from Klaus: "Come outside"

Caroline smiled and bit her lip, good thing her mother was asleep. She barely saw Klaus all day because they were keeping their relationship a secret, especially considering every single parent was with her today.

She skipped downstairs, still wearing her white cream dress and cardigan and opened the door with a huge smile plastered on her face.

But Klaus stood covered in spatters of blood and one of his suit sleeves was drenched with water. He stared darkly at Caroline and she slightly retreated, terrified at what he had done. Suddenly Klaus stepped forward and grabbed her arm below her shoulder, leaving a red handprint of blood on her cardigan. He slowly pulled her to him, despite her pulling back and lowered his forehead to hers, closing his eyes.

Caroline tried to push herself away from him, but he held her tight and she felt a warm tear drop onto her cheek, but it wasn't her own.

"Who?" She softly whispered, her breath shallow and her eyes tightly closed in fear.

Klaus turned his head so his lips were at her ear and she felt his warm breath breeze upon her skin.

"Carol. Lockwood." Klaus whispered threateningly at her ear.

* * *

Caroline then knew why her mother was gone. It was Tyler getting revenge... But he couldn't. No. No. He couldn't.

Caroline's legs then immediately started to run to Klaus who was standing still in the dark of night outside.

"It's bait." Caroline hyperventilated. "It has to be bait, Nik! Why else would they take her?! They want us, not my mother. They want us to come for her!"

Klaus strongly pulled Caroline's shaking body into his chest.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Caroline began to angrily sob into Klaus. "She's not dead, Nik! She's not dead! Say something!"

* * *

Tyler walked through an abandoned warehouse, in the outskirts of New Orleans. It was all grey cement, and the building was freezing inside. Hayley followed closely behind Tyler, who was walking quickly to the far end of the huge warehouse floor.

"I trust you had a nice travel here, Mrs Forbes." Tyler laughed at the curled up body, chained to the back wall of the warehouse. "I'm so glad I got a few of my men to come get you."

Liz didn't answer, but only lifted her heavy head to look at Tyler.

"I'm so sorry you had to get involved." Tyler spoke loudly again. "Funny this is. I would never have needed you if Klaus's mother was still here, and even so, Klaus couldn't care less about his mother anyway. So I had to choose the next best thing, and unfortunately that had to be you!" Tyler smirked at her. "So this is how things are going to work here, Liz. I'm just going to leave you here until Caroline and her precious Klaus come for you. I cant tell you how long that will be, but I know for sure that they will come. To make this urgent, I won't be feeding you or giving you anywhere to sleep, you'll just spend the days exactly as you are now…. In fact, how about we make things a little more interesting?"

Tyler walked closer to Liz and snarled at her, his eyes growing yellow and his fangs appearing.

"I am a vampire and a werewolf, but I trust you already know that. Here's what I'm thinking, if Caroline and Klaus don't contact me or come here in the next twenty-four hours. I will turn you into a vampire and then I will bite you. Obviously I could just kill you the old-fashioned way but I like how that plan has a certain… ring to it. And I'm sure that will encourage the lovers to join us more swiftly. You know, I'm getting tired of using other people to get to Klaus… if only he would face me himself."

Tyler then condescendingly patted Liz's head and walked away.

"Hayley?" Tyler ordered an unspoken demand of Hayley and she nodded her head, standing next to Liz and watching him walk away.

Hayley then turned to Liz and saw her scared eyes looking up at her, before Hayley hit Liz hard over the head so she fell back into unconsciousness.

* * *

Elijah sat quietly in front of one of the many fireplaces in his home and drank from a scotch glass of blood, thinking over what he had done.

_Perhaps I should go talk to her? She's lying in the bedroom I gave her right now, surely she would want somebody to talk to. She doesn't want to talk to me though. I hurt her a lot today… but she deserved it! I shouldn't be keeping her here… what if she tried to kill me again? That's impossible, I'm Elijah, nobody can 'kill' me. I'm going to talk to her… what will I say? I'll think of it as I walk, don't screw this up! I'll invite her to dinner. I can't be bothered going out. I'll cook dinner? Yes. Yes, I'll cook dinner._

Elijah walked to the staircase and to her room; it was one of the nicest in the house. The walls were white and the furniture was all a light cream, with a wooden dresser featured in the center of the far wall in the room. The bed was all white and it was _huge, _placed in the very center of the room, facing a large window on looking the skyline of New Orleans.

Elijah softly knocked on the door of the bedroom.

The door opened and Katherine looked begrudgingly up at Elijah.

"This is very bluebeard-esque isn't it? You lock me up in your castle and never let me go…" Katherine scowled at Elijah.

"Of course not!" Elijah laughed. "This is hardly a castle!"

Katherine pursed her lips at him and he could see her slightly smiling.

"I'd like to cook you dinner." Elijah said nervously.

"No thanks." Katherine smiled at him and then slammed the door in his face.

Elijah wasn't giving up that easily, so he knocked on the door once more, and once again Katherine opened it, except now she looked angrier.

It was only then that Elijah realized how much he wanted her. She was right, Katerina was long gone… but _Katherine _was powerful and mysterious. Elijah was taken aback at his realization, he was absolutely overwhelmed with attraction for _Katherine. _

"Katherine." Elijah played with the word upon his lips.

Katherine ruffled her brows back at him and became totally confused with what Elijah had said.

"Huh?" She said, tilting her head.

"Katherine, I would like you to come to dinner." Elijah tried again.

Despite him calling her Katherine for the first time in his whole life, Katherine still wasn't very stunned.

"No thanks." She repeated herself from last time and once again slammed the door in his face.

Elijah smiled and dropped his head to the ground.

_Katherine._ He thought once more to himself.

* * *

Caroline sat in the cold outside in front of her house, she had frozen tears upon her cheeks and her breath made steam in the air. Klaus had gone back inside to search for anything that might tell where Tyler was with her mother and after a few moments he returned.

"Well?" Caroline spoke quietly.

Klaus sat down next to her on the ground and clasped his hands together.

"I couldn't find anything. I swear to you Caroline next time I see him, I'll kill him." Klaus growled.

Caroline didn't try to defend Tyler, she couldn't deny that she didn't want to see Tyler punished… although they had been together and he was her first love… she couldn't bear him any longer.

"I found this." Klaus said quietly. He took Caroline's hand in his own and placed a necklace in it.

It was her prom necklace, the silver ball.

Klaus took the necklace back and hung it around her neck, carefully clasping it as Caroline moved her hair away.

Caroline's lips quivered as she looked at the necklace, slightly turning it so the moonlight reflected the "C" upon her chest.

"So this necklace really exists?" Caroline quietly cried.

"Yes, why?" Klaus brushed a strand of hair behind Caroline's ear.

"I dreamt that you gave this to me but I didn't know if it was real of not. I always have dreams about us… but I wake up thinking they're only that… dreams. But they're not. They're all memories." Caroline began to sob and tears ran down her cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" Klaus wiped away her tears and tried to comfort her.

"Because I wish I didn't forget everything. I wish I could remember all the moments we spent together and I wish that things didn't have to be this way. Maybe if I hadn't forgotten and I had been with you this whole time we could have stopped Tyler together …and maybe my mother wouldn't be gone. And maybe in an alternate reality where you didn't make me forget, we would be sitting together in my room, with my mum downstairs and we'd be in peace. But that's _not _the reality…" Caroline spoke, her breath loudly heaving. "…The reality is that I have forgotten mostly everything, and most of it won't ever come back. I mean, I've lost part of my life… and I'm not angry with you Klaus, I'm just sad that it has to be this way. And the reality is that my mum is currently gone and I'm not even sure I'll get her back."

The two of them sat in silence for a while after what Caroline had said. Klaus was at a loss for words… she had said nothing but the truth and yet she still wasn't angry with him… how in _any single way_ did he deserve her?!

"Caroline, I promise you I'll get your mother back." Klaus spoke in a low, sad voice. He tried to catch Caroline's eyes with his own, but she only looked down at her wringing hands.

"Thank you." Caroline said down to the ground.

Klaus stood up and walked backwards to her house door, leaning against it. Caroline followed and when she was with him, she stood to lean her body into his. She placed her right hand against his chest and she turned her head to look at her hand.

"I remember you have a tattoo here." Caroline whispered.

Her hand moved above his left shoulder and down to his bicep, tracing the shapes of his tattoos carefully with her finger.

"You haven't seen it since I compelled you." Klaus whispered.

"I know… but I remember." Caroline smiled. "It's a feather that breaks out into a flock of birds… which grow to be eagles."

"I told you what it represents once. Do you remember?" Klaus said, brushing her hair with his hands.

Caroline continued to trace it with her finger, but her forehead crumpled as she tried to remember. Her hand moved to the middle of his chest and slowly slid under his shirt, feeling the warmth of his skin under her hand and as she did so, Klaus's breath hitched and he stared down at Caroline.

"It represents how the strength of an eagle can come from the fragility of a feather." Caroline began to remember. "It represents you… In the way that you grew up as the outcast, but you learnt to be strong and powerful, even though you were broken so many times before."

Caroline then slowly unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off over his head, while he couldn't stop staring at her. Her hand then traced the tattoo on his bare skin and she glanced up quickly at Klaus, her eyes glistening, a soft smile in them. She then moved her hand away from the feather across his chest and down his right arm, to a tattoo of a growling black panther.

"...The Black Panther is secretive and silent. He is a loner by choice and is most comfortable with himself…He never gives away anything, only enough to ease curious minds. The Black Panther is the symbolic animal for the moon and for the night… and for death. The Black Panther helps to understand the dark and death and the inherent powers of them; and by acknowledging them, eliminates the fears and learns to use the powers." Caroline wiped away a tear as she traced the panther under her soft fingers.

"And the upright triangle." Caroline said, walking behind Klaus and moving her hand to his back right shoulder. "Spirit. Divinity. Masculinity. Fire. Life. Prosperity. Harmony. It's what keeps you living."

Caroline kissed the triangle and further moved her hands across his bare back.

"How do you remember?" Klaus asked, turning around to face Caroline and once again wipe her tears form her cheeks.

"I think it's because it was so important to me." Caroline said. "I remember you telling me and I couldn't believe how much these symbols were like you. I felt as though I was looking _into_ you just looking at these tattoos."

Klaus's eyes searched between her own and he held Caroline's head in one of his hands.

"Caroline I-" Klaus stopped himself and tensed his jaw. "…I love you."

Caroline slightly gasped and stared back at Klaus in complete shock.

"…I love you too." Caroline said, breathing in, holding her hands against his bare chest.

She couldn't believe it… she couldn't even remember a moment before she was compelled that he said that… she would have remembered it if he did.

Klaus carefully leaned down to her and kissed her softly, pulling her body up against his bare top and running his hands up and down her back.

"Tomorrow, I'll teach you how to fight and we'll get your mum back. I will do everything it takes Caroline… you…you mean… everything to me." Klaus said as he momentarily pulled out of the kiss.

Caroline pulled back again and sneakily hid his shirt behind her back, smirking up at him.

"I need that." Klaus smirked down at her.

"Nope." Caroline laughed and tried to run inside away from Klaus, but he caught her in his arms and pulled the shirt from her.

However, Caroline's playful mood diminished when she saw the interior of the house and remembered what had happened to her mother. She picked up her mothers gun from the ground and held it between her hands as Klaus sadly watched her.

They had to find her.


	14. Chapter 14

Hey Guys!  
Hope you like the chapter, pretty please leave reviews?  
Also, I know some authors put songs for chapters, tell me if you want me to do that. It might be cool to set the mood a bit more?  
Thanks!

* * *

_I really shouldn't have turned down that dinner offer. _Katherine huffed, pacing around the room, unable to find something productive to do. It was very late in the night… or very early in the morning, depending on how you wanted to look at it… and Katherine knew for a fact Elijah was awake also, but _no way in hell_ was she going to see him. Katherine wandered out of her room to the living room and unlocked two large double doors that opened to a white marble balcony overlooking the starry view of New Orleans. A mild breeze seeped into the room and she stood in the dark of the house, only the setting moon washing a blue tinge over her skin. She hadn't properly appreciated the decadence of this house when she was trying to escape from it… it was absolutely stunning. She looked up to the high ceiling and noticed a crystal chandelier hanging from the roof and as she looked more and more around, she noticed something that immediately got her attention. It was an antique record player, its golden funnel pointing directly to the center of the room and Katherine couldn't help but walk to it. Her fingers traced the gold and etched into it were intricate swirls of flowers bordering the whole machine. Her hand traveled down to the record sitting carefully in the machine and she read the label, _Louis Armstrong. _Katherine couldn't help but smile, she had always loved Louis Armstrong, she had even seen him perform when she was younger. She quietly spun the record and delicately placed the needle down, hearing the crackling of the static before the musicbegan singing through the room. She couldn't help but giggle when she heard it. She missed the twenties, the carefree attitudes of everybody, the roaring parties… she fit right in.

She closed her eyes and listened to the music as she quietly swayed, thinking about what it was like to be back in the twenties again. Unthinking, she lifted her arms up in the air and began to dance to the music as it crackled through the dark room, a smile across her face and her bare feet brushing over the marble floor, and suddenly she was back in the 20's.

* * *

She was wearing a red flapper dress, and her hair was crimped into tight finger waves with long pearls draped around her neck. She was in a jazz club in Chicago and she was dancing with a young man, with his loose white shirt held by his pant suspenders. They were laughing together and spinning each other around, dancing to the fast beat of the music, and the air was musty with the smell of alcohol, sweat and the sweet perfume of the lighthearted women. She was skipping around the room when she noticed Elijah sitting on a table by himself in the far corner of the room, his white shirt informally open and his jacket lying on the tabletop. His eyes burned into Katherine as she danced, a smile across his lips. Katherine danced all night and Elijah's eyes never once turned from her. He never danced himself, he never spoke to anybody, he only watched. She tried to forget about him sitting there and she tried distracting herself with other men but to no avail, she couldn't forget about him. Later that same night, she sat across a table from a petty human boy who she danced with, he was boasting about something disinteresting while she smoked a cigarette, her eyes darting across the room to find Elijah, who she could no longer see. But he was gone.

* * *

Katherine opened her eyes and Elijah stood on the top of the staircase, watching her once more.

"That's a nice memory." Elijah said quietly.

"How did you know what I was rem-" Katherine thought aloud.

_Oh. Originals can get in your head pretty easily. _Katherine realised.

"Did you honestly believe I wouldn't check up on you back then?" Elijah said, approaching Katherine.

"I thought you didn't want anything to do with me." Katherine looked down.

"You know as well as I do, that's not true." Elijah said, finally meeting her, the jazz music still crackling in the background. "I followed you for longer than you could ever imagine."

Elijah slid his hands up to Katherine's waist and pulled her into him, and rested his forehead against hers.

"I was there in the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th century. I was there in the wars when you tried to pretend you weren't afraid. I was there when the world was a party, in the 20's and the 50's, when everything was carefree and yet you could never fully enjoy it. I was there when you had your heartbroken by the people who grew old and left you. I was there when you wasted away the years running from my brother." Elijah whispered, holding on to her waist tightly. "That's why I can't stand you defying me. I've spent half my life making sure you've been okay. I didn't check up on you to see you, I needed to know what I had to do to keep you alive… and then when I try to free you… you try to kill me?"

"I didn't ask you to do that." Katherine pushed Elijah back and glared at him.

"You didn't need to!" Elijah raised his voice.

"I can look after myself!" Katherine yelled at him.

"Stop lying to yourself, Katherine, you need me!" Elijah now shouted.

"Because you would know so well, wouldn't you?!" Katherine roared, walking up to him.

"Yes. I. Would." Elijah snarled at Katherine before pulling her to him by the waist and crashing his lips into hers.

Katherine reacted immediately and ran her hands up to Elijah's neck and to his hair, kissing him back passionately. She began unbuttoning his shirt almost instantly and he did the same to hers. Elijah picked her off the ground and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to her bedroom, with the jazz music still playing softly in the background. It was as if that night was making up for the 20's.

* * *

Katherine lay in her bed with Elijah, watching him sleep on his stomach with his head turned to her. He had one of his arms draped across her bare back and her long curls swept across the pillow behind her. She couldn't deny now where her loyalties lay, quite literally. Elijah had been there for her when she didn't even know it and even though she told herself that she was never going to be with him again, here she was… because no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, her heart forced her to be with him. Of course her loyalties lay with Elijah, they had all along.

* * *

Caroline awoke in the morning stretched out on her bed. She had almost forgotten about her mother when she awoke but as she rolled over she saw Klaus awkwardly sleeping on the chair in her room and his presence reminded her. His leather jacket was ruffled up behind his back and his head rested on his hand, slouching back. He didn't want to sleep with her in the bed, he wanted to give her space, but he still wasn't leaving the room.

_He looks like the definition of uncomfortable. _Caroline sympathized. _I should have insisted he slept on the bed. _

Caroline stepped out of the bed and tip-toed over to Klaus as he still lay fast asleep. She knelt down to him and delicately kissed his neck and he awoke from the touch. Klaus was still half asleep as she pulled him up and dragged him over to her bed so he could lie down comfortably; it was still dawn outside and the sun had not fully risen, perhaps he could sleep a little longer in ease. Klaus fell down on the bed and Caroline lay down next to him, closing her eyes and turning her back to him.

All of a sudden Klaus was on top of her, one of his hands around her neck and the other pushing a fist underneath her ribs towards her heart, his face in a snarl and his eyes black.

Caroline immediately panicked and tried to wriggle under his grip, but he was too strong.

"It's no use love, you're already dead." Klaus smirked. "First rule of fighting, don't turn your back on the enemy."

"You're not the enemy!" Caroline laughed.

"Today I am." Klaus bent down to whisper in her ear. He then slid a hand up her leg and she blushed. "And don't invite strange men into your bed."

Klaus quickly jumped out of bed and Caroline followed.

"Here's your first challenge. You know your house better than I do, you know the creaks in the floorboards and the sounds of each room, so you should be able to easily kill me in here." Klaus smiled. "Or you can at least try."

Klaus handed Caroline a wooden stake and disappeared.

Caroline stood silently, Klaus had made it pretty clear that he was going to make noise so she could learn to hunt, so she stood still and listened.

A creak in the kitchen faintly sounded and she instantly began to head there, tip-toeing silently across the floorboards. She turned the corner to find an empty kitchen.

_Dammit._ Caroline sighed.

She turned around and Klaus was standing up against her, with his fist once again at her heart.

"Dead." Klaus beamed. "Yes, I made a sound in the kitchen, but don't tune your ears out for me moving from there. That was your mistake."

Once again Klaus was gone.

_Listen, Caroline. _Caroline repeated to herself.

She heard a sound in the living room this time and she silently started to move there, but she didn't stop listening. As she lurked, she heard a sound back in her room.

_How did he get there? _Caroline huffed.

She moved towards her room, but she didn't hear a sound when she got there. She thought he may be in the closet, but she turned her back on it and checked the other side of her room… then once again Klaus was holding her from behind and pushing his fist into her back where her heart was.

"Dead. What did I tell you about your back?" Klaus growled in her ear. "And always go with your instincts."

_I have to get one step ahead of him… _Caroline thought. _I can't keep following him around… _

Caroline once again heard a sound in the living room and she tried to figure out where he would go from there.

_He's in the back of the living room, unless he plans to travel all that way to another part of the house he must be planning to go outside. _

Caroline moved slowly to the front door and listened as hard as she possible could, after a few moments, she heard a foot take it's weight off the floorboards and she ran to the front door, stopping Klaus with her stake in his chest, she had purposely missed his heart, even though it would do nothing, she still didn't want to stab him.

"Dead." Caroline smirked and kissed his lips.

She pulled the stake out of his stake again and smiled, while Klaus had to recover.

"Well done." Klaus looked shocked as if he never expected to be caught. He rubbed his chest where Caroline had got him and smirked. "Very well done."

"You're bleeding." Caroline said, holding her hand to his chest. "Let me get a bandage."

"Don't bother." Klaus chuckled, holding Caroline back. "I have a feeling I'm going to be stabbed a lot today…"

* * *

Caroline and Klaus stood in a dense forest in the outskirts of Mystic Falls, they had traveled there for more training.

"Next challenge." Klaus announced as they stood a few feet apart amongst the trees. "Combat."

Klaus began to run full pelt towards Caroline and so she ran too. When they reached the middle, Klaus flipped Caroline and she landed with a loud thud on the ground. Klaus knelt down on her and held her arms on the ground above her.

"Try and get out of this hold." Klaus ordered Caroline.

Caroline remembered how to do this.

She wrapped her legs around one of his and twisted it so his weight was thrown onto his left side and then she flipped him over and she was on top.

"I remember how to do that one!" Caroline laughed.

Klaus reached up and pulled Caroline's head down to his so he could kiss her. His hands moved to her back and down and Caroline flushed.

"Stop it!" Caroline smirked, still kissing him. "We're in the middle on nowhere."

Klaus faked a scared face and put his arms up in surrender.

Caroline laughed and stood up.

"Come on! Train me!" Caroline faked confidence.

Her mind was now focused on… on… _really _sleeping with Klaus. The crazy thing was that, of course, she had already probably done it with him before, and yet, she had to do it all for the first time with him _again. _This was not good for her stress levels.

_What if I'm not as good anymore? What if he expects something that I won't do? What if I completely screw it up? _

"Caroline?" Klaus smiled at Caroline, slightly cocking his head to the side. "You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine!" Caroline smiled, her voice breaking in nervousness.

_Shit. _Caroline started to panic. _Does he expect me to just do it with him? It hasn't been very long since I have been really with him… but then again I've been with him for ages like that. It needs to be special. But would it only be special for me? I mean he's already done the bells and whistles thing… _

_Shit._

_Shit. _

_Shit._

Caroline was then thrown back against a tree and she fell to the ground.

"Hello in there?" Klaus looked at her in confusion. "Do you need a break?"

"No, No, I'm fine. Let's keep going!" Caroline shook herself out of it.

_I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. _Caroline thought.

* * *

Liz lay unconscious in the warehouse. She was dehydrated, starving and exhausted.

"It's been 24 hours!" Tyler yelled angrily as he stormed into the warehouse and marched towards Liz. "And your precious daughter and her boyfriend have been a no-show!"

Liz tried to say something, but her voice was dry she couldn't make a sound.

"I guess I'll have to take matters into my own hands." Tyler laughed crazily.

He walked to Liz and lifted her head gently so he could look at him.

"This'll only hurt a little." Tyler smirked, before biting into Liz's neck, pulling back and breaking her neck.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey Guys!**  
**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Just a warning, I won't be updating next week because I have heaps of things on so I've given you guys a double length chapter this week in hope to make up for it!**

**Please leave reviews :)**

* * *

It was dusk and Caroline had been training all day with Klaus. She had improved dramatically, probably because a lot of her training and skills had come back to her – but as night grew nearer her mind drifted away from Klaus and to her mother. She had wasted most of a day already, despite Klaus telling her they couldn't just find her mother without preparation, but Caroline felt useless and guilty.

Caroline and Klaus were both walking silently through the dense forest back to the car they had parked further back, but Caroline began to fidget and her legs begged her to move faster.

"We have to figure out where she is, _now_." Caroline suddenly burst out.

"We have nothing to go on, Caroline." Klaus was surprised.

"We know that Tyler and the rest of the hybrids were in New Orleans." Caroline said, beginning to walk faster.

"Yes, but we can't just travel to New Orleans. If we get there and they're not there then we might not have enough time to figure out where they truly are." Klaus replied.

"Then what do I do?" Caroline huffed. "My mother is currently in the hands of someone who wants us dead – I'm not wasting any more time than I did today."

"We didn't waste time Caroline, when we face Tyler you have to protect yourself." Klaus was annoyed.

"We shouldn't have spent all day!" Caroline cried. "…We're leaving tonight."

"We don't know where we're going!" Klaus shouted back at her.

"Klaus we have to figure it out tonight! She's the only family I have left." Caroline screamed.

This hit home with Klaus. Family was the most important thing to him and he hadn't thought about how Caroline had barely any left. Her father was dead and he had hated her as a vampire anyway and she had no siblings. If Klaus had only Rebekah or Elijah or Kol left… he would do anything to make sure they were safe. Family is power.

"Somebody has to know – somebody we can get contact with." Caroline thought aloud.

"You can try getting straight on to Tyler?" Klaus asked.

"Surely he wouldn't tell us." Caroline said quietly, but she already began to pull her phone out of her back jeans pockets and dial Tyler's number.

_Why didn't she think of this earlier!?_

She immediately put the phone to her ear, she didn't know what to expect. Maybe Tyler would tell them… if Liz really was bait then Tyler would want them to come to him, right?

"I was wondering when I was going to hear from you." Tyler's rough voice came pounding through her mobile.

Caroline instantly lost her strong barrier as soon as she heard his voice.

"Please, Tyler, where is my mother?" She cried.

"You poor little girl. Mummy's not around to look after you anymore, is she?" Tyler laughed.

Klaus tensed his jaw when he heard Tyler's voice through the mobile and he urged Caroline to keep talking.

"Tyler, we'll come to you if it's what you want. Just tell us where you are." Caroline begged frantically.

"You know you never had to be a part of this, Carr." Tyler ignored her pleas. "I could have protected you, but you didn't choose me…"

Caroline wiped a tear form her eye. "Tyler, please, my mother has nothing to do with-"

"I want to teach you that by choosing the wrong side of this war, you're crossing everybody who loved you." Tyler cut her off.

Like you? Caroline thought to herself.

"I know the people that truly love me!" Caroline shouted back at him. "And I will stand by them!"

"Well you've put them all in danger since you became an originals' whore." Tyler yelled back at her.

Klaus suddenly grabbed the phone of Caroline, he had been listening to every word Tyler said.

"I will kill you in an instant." Klaus yelled down the phone.

_Nobody. Nobody called Caroline a whore._

"Your threats are growing old, Klaus." Tyler spat back at him.

"Tell me where you are." Klaus ordered Tyler.

"Now that would be far too easy for you." Tyler laughed.

Tyler wasn't going to tell them where he was… there had to be another way.

"The day I find you is the day you perish. You're no longer safe by Caroline's care." Klaus spat down the phone and hung up, sighing and clenching his jaw.

"He didn't tell us…" Caroline said quietly, she was in her state of shock again.

"Caroline we'll find her." Klaus reassured her.

"How!?" Caroline yelled.

Klaus tried to answer but he was lost.

"We're leaving for New Orleans tonight." Caroline said darkly.

"What if she's not there?" Klaus grabbed Caroline by the shoulders and shook her.

"It's a risk I'm going to take." Caroline gravely looked at Klaus and pushed him off her, storming towards the car.

Suddenly Klaus was in front of her, grabbing her by the waist to stop her from walking.

"You're being irrational." Klaus growled.

"I'm being irrational?!" Caroline tilted her head at Klaus. "I'M BEING IRRATIONAL?!" She now screamed.

Klaus was taken aback… what was she talking about?

"I'm not the one who wiped his girlfriends memory because he was worried about her!" Caroline screamed, pushing Klaus back.

"You said you were okay with it." Klaus said, startled.

"OKAY WITH IT?!" Caroline laughed in frustration. "I thought I was too, you know! But if it weren't for you, my mother would be here with us! I could have protected her!"

Klaus stepped back and dropped his head; and Caroline instantly realized how cruel she had been.

"It's not your fault." Caroline tried to backtrack… to take back what she had said; but it was too late, the damage had been done.

"You've said what you needed to say, Caroline." Klaus said, reaching the car and getting in.

_Shit. You've done it now Caroline._ Caroline scolded herself. She had been way to harsh… she was angry about Tyler and her mother and she let it out on the one person who had been here for her the whole time.

Caroline quietly got into the car and she could have sworn she saw glistening on the water line of Klaus's eyes.

* * *

Liz awoke with a start and everything was different. The sun beaming into the warehouse windows was more golden and bright, though she sat away from it in the corner, her own skin was magnified and she could see every wrinkle, every crack in her hands. She heard the brush of her foot on the ground as she sat, and she could hear the bustling of the city outside. Her senses were on overload, she saw everything, heard everything, felt everything, smelt everything… and it was overwhelming.

She sat quietly, trying to understand what was happening, but her mind drew her attention to her cuffed hands. She moved her hands slightly and suddenly a searing pain was burning her wrists.

Why was this happening? The cuffs didn't hurt her before she woke up…

_It must some acid or something._ Liz tried to figure it out but all she knew was that she had to get them off.

With strength she didn't know she had, she pulled the cuffs off her and stood up.

Her police instincts instantly kicked in and she walked to the window to see the world outside, she needed to know where she was.

But just as she reached the beam of light her body began to burn under the rays.

"Ah!" She jumped back and looked at her hand, which was already repairing itself.

"Oh god." Liz breathed.

She knew now… she knew what had happened to her. She was a vampire… through and through.

What she had feared her whole life had happened to her… and her daughter wasn't even with her to help her.

Liz dropped to the ground and held her head in her hands. She wiped silent tears from her eyes and she tried to figure out what she was going to do before she heard the warehouse door heavily open.

In walked the girl who was always following behind Tyler and Liz immediately stood up.

"Impressive." Hayley pursed her lips. "I'm surprised you got out of those cuffs so quickly. I didn't even think you were going to be awake by now."

Liz didn't say anything and only watched Hayley approach.

_If being a police officer has taught me anything, it's that I have to be stealthy._ Liz told herself.

"Fine then, you don't have to say a word to me." Hayley said. "It doesn't affect what I'm going to do anyway."

As Hayley approached Liz tensed up so that she could pounce, but Hayley noticed and stopped.

"Don't you dare." Hayley threatened Liz.

Liz one again refused to say anything.

"I am a werewolf, lady." Hayley continued. "And you're only a baby vampire, I could kill you like snapping a twig."

"Why don't you?" Liz suddenly said strongly.

"Because you're needed alive." Hayley scowled at Liz.

"I need to make a phone call." Liz said.

Hayley scoffed and shook her head. "No way in hell, lady."

"You said that I need to be alive, yes?" Liz asked.

"…Yeah?" Hayley said.

"Give me your phone or I'll walk into the sun." Liz bluffed, staring back at Hayley with unwaveringly intense eyes.

"That's a bit extreme don't you think?" Hayley laughed.

Liz tensed her jaw and stared back at Hayley.

"You're bluffing." Hayley could tell when people were lying… but she wasn't sure with Liz. She must have been bluffing… but something in Liz's eyes told her otherwise. "What about your daughter?"

"I'd rather I die, than make her risk her life for me." Liz announced.

"You won't do it." Hayley smirked.

Hayley was calling Liz's bluff. That wasn't part of the plan.

Liz only had one option left.

Suddenly Liz threw herself into the sun and flames started to envelop her whole body. She stood and screamed as her whole body burned before Hayley was at her, pulling her into the shade.

"Damn it!" Hayley screamed, patting the flames from Liz's body.

Liz lay panting on the ground. Thankfully her bluff had worked… sort of.

Her burns healed again and Liz looked up at Hayley.

"One. Phone. Call." Hayley spat at Liz and threw her phone down at her before stalking back to the other end of the warehouse and out the doors.

* * *

Caroline and Klaus drove back to the house in silence. Caroline had planned to get home, pack a few things and leave immediately for New Orleans. She felt culpable for what she did to Klaus but that just wasn't on the top of her priority list of things to deal with.

Caroline couldn't be condemned for what she had said… Klaus had done plenty of bad things to her in the past – and she always had forgiven him. It was time Klaus learnt to forgive too.

As Caroline sat sulking, she couldn't help but search her patched memory in hope of finding something new. She thought about more recent memories with Klaus, but there was nothing there, nothing she didn't already know… so she went further back. So she went even further back and she stumbled across a memory… a _new _memory. As soon as she began to replay it, her breath caught. She had been wondering about this one. When you're forced to forget a whole relationship… you forget every stage. But this memory brought back to her the most romantic stage… the most, ironically, _memorable_ stage… the very first kiss.

Caroline instantly bit her lip and smiled, a small giggle escaping her lips.

"What?" Klaus looked over to her.

"I remembered something." Caroline smiled at him, hoping he would forgive her.

"And?" His face remained grave.

"Our first kiss." Caroline tried to stop herself from smiling but she couldn't.

"Ah." Klaus then started to smirk.

He could remember it like yesterday.

* * *

Caroline and Klaus had been spending _a lot _more time together. Caroline knew it was wrong but she couldn't help it; there was something about him; something about they he _looked _at her that made her unable to stay away. She kept pretending that she didn't want to be around him and tease him while she was with him… but he saw through it. Klaus knew exactly what Caroline felt, he could see it in the way she smiled at him. That stupid little smile that he was transfixed with. He could see it in the way she bit her perfect red lips when she didn't even realize she was doing it. He could see it in the way her chest rose whenever he got near her and he could see it in the way she became just that little more flustered whenever he was around.

It was early afternoon and a soft breeze perturbed the forest of Mystic Falls while the warm sun basked a warm glow over the neighborhood, it was a beautiful day. Klaus sat alone in the Mikaelson manor, all his siblings were out and he was wasting the day away scribbling drawings in his notebook. He was sketching an old man, his idea of what Elijah would look like if he hadn't had stopped ageing. He liked drawing the elderly; it amused him.

_Humans are so inferior. _Klaus laughed to himself as he made Elijah look slowly weaker – but a soft knock on the front door interrupted him and he strolled over to the grand double doors.

He opened the door to Caroline, _his_ Caroline. She was wearing a black leather jacket and jeans, she must have just come from school. Klaus's face instantly brightened, _Caroline _was coming to _Klaus's _house to _see him. _

_"_Hi Love." Klaus smirked at Caroline.

"Hi. Is Rebekah here?" Caroline instantly flushed. She couldn't help it when he called her that.

_Rebekah!? _Klaus was embarrassed. _She didn't come to see you, you absolute idiot._

"She's out. Is there something you need from her?" Klaus straightened himself up.

_Bloody Rebekah, why does she get Caroline's attention? _Klaus huffed to himself.

"She has the plans for the school dance. I said today at school I was going to come over and pick them up-" Caroline vomited words, she was obviously flustered, as she always was in the company of Klaus.

"I'll see if I can find them." Klaus interjected. "Come in."

Caroline awkwardly stepped through the doors into the empty hall of the mansion as Klaus walked up the stairs to Rebekah's room.

Klaus searched his little sister's room.

_So this is what you've come to. _Klaus thought to himself. _The most powerful creature on earth searching his stupid little sister's room in hope of finding bloody plans for a bloody school dance because he just want a few moments with the bloody girl he's obsessed with. _

After a few moments of pointless searching through senseless girly posters and mountains of books, Klaus gave up.

_Honestly, you'd think a thousand years of being a young woman, Rebekah would get over the teenage behavior; apparently not. _Klaus knocked a pile of books over in frustration.

"No luck." Klaus said as he returned to Caroline.

"Damn it." Caroline whispered under her breath. Of course Caroline would be stressed about some petty human thing. Caroline stood in silence as she tried to come up with a reason to stay with Klaus, but she didn't have one. "Well… I'll just ask her tomorrow at school."

Caroline began to leave but Klaus wasn't going to let her.

"What is it about school that you two are so gripped with?" Klaus called after her.

Caroline smiled with her back turned to Klaus standing on the staircase, before composing herself and turning around.

"I'm not gripped with it! I'm just going through the motions I guess… I had always planned to finish school with senior year and organize the dances and become homecoming queen-" Caroline realized she was ranting and Klaus was smiling at her in a mocking way, so she stopped herself from going any further.

"No, no continue please." Klaus smirked at her.

"No!" Caroline rolled her eyes at him and pouted her lips at him before laughing.

"Fine then, I'll continue for you." Klaus mocked. "You would have married your childhood sweetheart…" Klaus stepped down closer to Caroline as he talked. "Even though you never really loved him, you would marry him because that's what you expected to do. You would have lived together in a quiet little house on a quiet little street and you would have had two pretty little children named… Benji and Myrtle-"

"What?!" Caroline interjected by bursting out laughing. "Benji and Myrtle!? Last time I checked we don't live in the 40's!"

"I'm not finished" Klaus was closer to Caroline now. "You would have spent a long period of your life watching them grow up, watching them slowly drift away from you while each moment that passed you became closer and closer to the day where you'll die peacefully in your bed as an old woman, having lived a full life of absolutely nothing."

As awful as it sounded to Caroline, it was pretty much the plan she had had in her head.

"I'll have you know I'm actually going to miss growing old." Caroline said to Klaus, unconsciously taking a few steps forward to him. "And senior year was a part of that!"

"I tried senior year once… I refuse to ever go back to that putrid den of teenage angst." Klaus said seriously.

Caroline tried to stop herself from laughing but Klaus's choice of words got her.

"I'm sorry." Caroline said as she tried to stop her hysterical laughter.

Klaus clenched his jaw but a smirk was playing on his lips.

"But seriously, I'm going to miss being human!" Caroline smiled.

Klaus glanced up at Caroline and made the few final steps towards Caroline so that they were only a small width apart.

"I know you prefer who you are now, to the girl you once were." Klaus said it in a low voice.

Caroline dropped her comic mood as soon as he spoke and she became totally hypnotized with the way he spoke to her. Her eyes glanced down to the ground, but she couldn't keep them away from his piercing eyes- that were staring so intensely at her.

"You like being strong," Klaus began to smile and a flash of hope came through his eyes. "Ageless, fearless." Klaus turned intense and dark when he said fearless. Caroline's breath hitched and her heart began to flutter. She couldn't control herself when he looked at her like that.

Like she was under a spell, Caroline unintentionally took another step into Klaus so they were only inches apart, still staring back into his eyes.

"We're the same, Caroline." Klaus whispered into her, his voice practically purring her name.

Caroline melted when he said that. She was absolutely in awe of him and to think that he thought… he _knew…_ that she was as dark as him drove her absolutely wild.

"Then show me." Caroline's breath hitched as he whispered up to him, her eyes searching his.

Klaus instinctively reached forward and brushed a stray hair behind Caroline's ear and she subtly closed her eyes at the touch of his hands against her skin. His hands were so soft and their faces were only inches apart now and Klaus could feel Caroline's soft shallow breathing.

Klaus's hand stayed at the nape of her neck and Caroline noticed his hesitation. She didn't think about what she was doing, it was like it was this deep yearning that completely took over and she couldn't help but succumb to it.

Caroline stared down at Klaus's lips and lifted one of her hands to Klaus's arm that was on Caroline's neck.

She was practically begging him to kiss her, and yet he only stared down at her, slowly rubbing his hand against her neck.

"Kiss. Me." Caroline whispered, barely audibly.

Suddenly Klaus's lips crashed into hers and began to kiss her with a desperation and passion she could only have dreamed of… and Caroline kissed back… hard. He had _finally _gotten permission to do what he had wanted to do to her since the moment he saw her. His soft lips pressed into hers and she reflexively grabbed onto his shirt in the heat of the kiss. It got out of control very quickly, a kiss that not only reflected on Klaus but also reflected upon Caroline.

Before Caroline got too carried away, she pulled back and took in a huge gasp of air, in the most un-subtle way possible. As Klaus only smirked smugly back at her, Caroline brought a hand up to her mouth and a wave of shock enveloped her face.

"Sorry- I, I don't… I'm not sure.." Caroline started to rack her mind for the right words to say but nothing good came of it.

"Don't apologize love." Klaus smirked, he was absolutely beaming.

"I have to, I came to… I should probably go." Caroline was bright red and she couldn't stop staring at Klaus's lips. _Nobody, _not even Tyler, had _ever _kissed her like that.

Caroline quickly scurried out of the mansion and ran home, still high from what she had just done, while Klaus stood alone in his house once more, smiling and laughing that he had finally gotten the girl.

* * *

Caroline and Klaus both couldn't stop smirking while they replayed the memory in their heads.

"You surprised me." Klaus had the same smug expression in his face again.

"_I _surprised _you_!?" Caroline scoffed.

Once they returned home, Caroline started to quickly pack the bare necessities while Klaus sat amused in the kitchen.

Caroline's fervent packing was interrupted by the quiet ringing of her phone.

As soon as she saw the caller she dropped everything and picked up.

"Mum!? Mum?! Are you okay!?" She cried into the phone.

"I'll be fine, honey." Liz reassured her panicked daughter. "I'm in New Orleans in a big warehouse on the east of the city. I can't give you anymore information but Tyler has got me here and they're using me as a bait to get to you." Liz spoke like a police officer.

"Mum! You have to get out of there!" Caroline spoke quickly and Klaus was not at her side, listening to the conversation.

"I can't, Carr." Liz sighed.

"Why not!?" Caroline panicked. "You're a police officer, Mum, you can get passed whatever people they have watching you."

"That's not the problem." Liz didn't want to tell her daughter what she had become.

"Then what!?" Caroline cried.

"It's the sun, honey. I can't go out into the sun." Liz spoke quietly.

At first it didn't compute… Caroline just couldn't accept what she had heard.

"No." She whispered in shock.

"Caroline, I'll be okay." Liz knew her daughter and how she would react.

"Anything but that, Mum." Caroline began to cry… really cry.

"I don't know why he did it to me, Carr, but he did." Liz sounded chocked up on the other end too. "You'll have to teach me how to be just as good a vampire as you, honey."

Caroline had tears flowing down her face. Her mother never wanted to be a vampire, she had done enough as a mother already… but this, _this, _was a step too far.

"Mum, I'll come find you, I promise." Caroline started to blurt words out again.

Ruffling came from the other side of the line and an unfamiliar voice was heard.

"Get off the phone now." The strangers voice said.

"Please, just a minute more." Liz sounded scared and panicked.

"Mum?! Mum!? Please-" Caroline was nonsensical now.

"Honey, you have a big future ahead of you. You've been the best daughter anybody could hope for." Liz was crying too now.

"Get off the phone _NOW_." The voice was angry.

"Mum, I'm coming, I promise." Caroline tried to stop her tears.

"I love-" Liz's side of the phone went dead.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey Guys! **  
**Back again, sorry for the wait!**  
**A few of you have been asking why Klaus can't just compel her to remember? - but that's actually impossible. **  
**New compulsions are not able to reverse the effects of previous compulsions and that applies with my fanfic too, and hey, we wouldn't have much of a story then either would we? ;) **  
**Enjoy the chapter, **  
**Bec**

* * *

"Get off the phone NOW!" The voice was angry.

"Mum, I'm coming, I promise." Caroline tried to stop her tears.

"I love-" Liz's side of the phone went dead.

"Mum? Mum?! MUM?!" Caroline screamed into the phone in vain.

Klaus looked over at the crouched over, sunken body of Caroline, convulsing from her crying which shook her whole body.

Suddenly, he let out a deep, furious growl and punched his fist into the glass mirror that hang on the wall beside him, shattering with a rain of shards.

Caroline stood up with a gasp and her eyes widened in fear, this was the angriest she could ever remember seeing him.

Klaus continued, turning crazed now, throwing furniture to the other side of the room and smashing random ornaments of Caroline's house, while she only stood back in shock, not knowing what to do.

"Nik?" Caroline whispered quietly, taking a few hesitant steps towards him and reaching out her hand in the hope to touch his shoulder.

Harshly, Klaus swatted away Caroline's hand and continued to break things, putting holes in the wall, he was indestructible.

"Nik, please!" Caroline begged, still crying, taking more steps towards him. She reached out again and touched his shoulder while he still shrugged away. "Please, Nik, stop!"

She turned his shoulder and he turned to look at her, angry tears dwelling in his eyes, before pulling her body into his and holding her tightly against his chest, as if he hadn't seen her for centuries.

Caroline was still in a state of shock, her eyes wide open while Klaus's head nuzzled into her shoulder and he breathed in her scent, running his hands up and down her back.

Caroline couldn't cope with her emotions, it was overwhelming, she was angry, sad, numb, hopeful, but most of all, a sharp undercurrent of fear froze her.

She was out of tears, her eyes stung and yet she couldn't cry anymore. She couldn't speak anymore, nothing she could say would sound right.

What was happening to her mother?

* * *

Katherine sat on the upstairs balcony, basking in the warmth of the summer night, a small smile across her lips.

Okay, so she didn't mind being held captive _that _much. She didn't even know if she was really allowed to leave yet, but she didn't need to ask. She wasn't going _anywhere. _She was wearing a beautiful long, white silk, summer dress that Elijah had bought her and after a time of sitting out in the night, she strolled back inside.

Her bare feet walked silently over the marble floors and a soft warm breeze brushed through the whole house. Curtains softly wavered across the walls and the whole house was basked in a golden glow from the candles which were lit around the house. It was paradise.

Then Elijah's hands were at her waist as he stood behind her, kissing her neck.

Katherine smiled and draped one of her own hands around his neck.

"I'm never letting you go." Elijah smiled into her, his lips brushing against her neck.

"Fine with me." Katherine smiled and bit her lip.

A sharp phone ringing interrupted their moment of intoxication and Elijah sighed.

"Hello?" Elijah answered the phone in his usual polite tone.

Katherine then noticed his face turn grave; his mouth dropping to an angry frown and one of his hands began to rub his temple.

"Yes, we can do that." Elijah sounded frustrated. "Honestly, Niklaus, can you just sort this boy out?"

Elijah hung up the phone and looked up back at Katherine.

"It seems that even we are not entitled to a few moments of happiness." Elijah frowned. "We must go and see if Caroline's mother is safe. It appears she has been kidnapped by the Lockwood boy and Niklaus and Caroline are too far away to do anything at the moment."

Katherine sighed and looked around the house, how she didn't want to leave!

Elijah smiled at her dress. "You may need to dress a little more threateningly."

"Right." Katherine sighed, running the silk through her hands, trying to hold on to the way it ran like water over her skin.

Elijah wasn't trying to change her back into Katerina… it just seemed to be happening effortlessly. Every day she spent with him, the innocence and the purity seemed to somehow yield to her like a child hesitantly appearing behind the safety of her hideaway. The way he looked at her was so kind, the way he touched her was so gentle and the way he kissed her was so blissful that the youth of her past life crept back so that when they were together, it was if they were back in 1492, running around the gardens carefree and lighthearted. She wasn't being untrue to herself or making herself any weaker, she was simply rediscovering a gentler side to herself, and one that would only ever be witnessed by Elijah; but it was still there.

"How _femme fatale _are we talking here, Elijah?" Katherine smirked, narrowing her eyes.

Elijah sauntered over to Katherine and ran his hand up her leg, putting his lips to her ear.

"Do your worst." He purred.

* * *

Hayley held her blood-covered phone in her hand and Liz lay unconscious on the floor, surrounded by two hybrids.

She shouldn't have let her make that phone call, who knows what would be coming for them now. Klaus knows where they are… that was enough of a threat.

But Hayley couldn't have let Liz burn; Liz is the only advantage they have and if she was dead then they couldn't have any hope of getting to Klaus.

At least Hayley had punished Liz for the call, that was at least something.

"None of you bit her, did you?" Hayley sighed, biting her lip as she stared at the limp body.

"No." The hybrids shook their heads.

"Good, she's got to stay alive." Hayley growled. "Has she fed?

"Yes." The hybrids nodded.

Hayley began to walk out of the warehouse, but she stopped in her tracks and turned back to the three people.

"Clean the blood up." Hayley frowned. "Tyler can't have any idea-"

"Tyler can't have any idea about what?" Tyler came booming through the warehouse doors, he was angry… again.

Hayley was going to pay for this.

"Tyler can't have any idea about what?!" He laughed, but it was sinister.

Hayley bit her lip and turned to see the severe face of Tyler.

"Liz told her daughter what you've done to her." Hayley stared at the ground.

"_How _did she do that?" Tyler smiled sarcastically, like he was trying to communicate with a child.

"She used my phone because she threatened to kill herself if I didn't give-" Hayley tried to quickly explain but was cut off by Tyler grabbing her neck.

"I'm sick of putting up with your idiocy." Tyler spat in Hayley's face. "I'm gathering news of vampirism isn't all Liz told Caroline?!"

Hayley shook her head under Tyler's crushing grip.

"Didn't think so!" Tyler gripped harder now, nearly crushing her jaw. "The originals will be here soon then!"

Tyler then threw Hayley's weak body to the ground.

"Do not _ever _try to go behind my back again." Tyler whispered hostilely.

But Hayley wasn't going to be thrown around that easily, _no way in hell, _Tyler was only as powerful as he was now because of her.

"You lay your hands on me and you'll have hell to pay!" Hayley growled, effortlessly lifting herself off the ground and standing up straight in dominance.

A flash of shock and fear appeared on Tyler's face, but it was quickly diminished.

"What did you say to me?" Tyler cocked his head to the side.

"You heard me." Hayley narrowed her eyes. "I'm the one holding this whole show together, Ty. Don't forget that! I've supplied half of your army from my own werewolf pack and if I go, they go with me."

Hayley then walked to Tyler, a severe smile spreading across her mouth.

"So if I were you…" Hayley put her lips to Tyler's ear as Tyler stood in shock. "I'd do everything in my power to keep me here."

"Ugh, Get a room." The exasperated voice of Katherine sounded at the door of the warehouse.

Tyler immediately turned and pushed Hayley back.

"Katherine." Tyler smiled at her and welcomed her back into the warehouse.

Katherine strutted down the length of the hall, her black stiletto boots tapping on the cement floor. She was wearing tight, leather pants, a black v-neck top and a black, tight blazer. She _definitely _looked like she wasn't to be messed with.

"Don't _Katherine _me, dog. I heard you two might have been here from one of the werewolves." Katherine spat. "I was nearly killed by one of the originals because of your brilliant plan. I'm lucky I even got out of there alive."

"You agreed to it, might I remind you." Hayley spoke up again.

"Only because I was pissed off and willing to do anything to kill one of them. Send me into a room of originals with a white oak stake? What was I thinking?" Katherine huffed.

"Well, your job isn't done here yet, of course if you are still willing." Hayley announced. "Klaus has found out where we're hiding Liz Forbes-"

"You kidnapped Caroline's mum!?" Katherine feigned surprised. "You're being very sneaky about this aren't you?"

"That's none of your concern. Are you willing to help or not?" Tyler said.

"No." Katherine's face dropped and almost instantaneously Elijah appeared behind the trio, pulling the hearts out of the two hybrids that had been guarding Liz, their limp bodies falling to the ground. "I changed sides."

Tyler didn't have any time to react before Elijah snapped his neck and his body fell too.

Hayley began to back up in shock, her head glancing around for Elijah while Katherine silkily approached her. Hayley was defenseless and vulnerable like a deer being hunted by a cheetah, her eyes were wide and it was as if she was trying to say something, but nothing was coming out.

Katherine then hissed at Hayley and her sharp fangs appeared, while her eyes grew black and the veins under her eyes jutted out.

"See you, not going to miss you." Katherine laughed menacingly and reached into Hayley's chest and pulled out her heart, spilling the werewolf's blood on the cement floor as her body collapsed on itself and crashed to the floor.

Then Elijah was at Katherine's side, staring down at Hayley.

"That wasn't part of the plan." Elijah chuckled.

"No. But she always pissed me off." Katherine sighed. "Why can't we just kill the dog now?"

Katherine looked over at Tyler.

"I think Klaus will want to do it on his own terms." Elijah smiled. He looked up to the high shutters of the warehouse, a tiny streams of light started to appear. It was sunrise. "Let's get Liz and Tyler and get them out of here. Quickly."

Katherine ran to Liz and slung the unconscious body over her shoulder while Elijah did the same with Tyler, but as they ran they noticed people, _lots_ of people spill through the doors. It was like they knew they were there, how? Katherine and Elijah didn't know. But now they had a bigger problem on their hands.

Without speaking the wolves began to approach and Elijah and Katherine put down the bodies, preparing to fight.

"Don't get bitten." Elijah warned Katherine. "Have you fought werewolves before?"

"I'm usually on their side." Katherine said, walking to stand with Elijah, her eyes following the approaching attackers.

"I'll watch your back, if you watch mine." Elijah said, readying himself.

Suddenly, the wolves lunged forward, their eyes glowing yellow and immediately Elijah and Katherine were surrounded.

Katherine was aiming to pull out their hearts before they could get close to her, and she was moving at the speed of light. The blur of bodies upon bodies ran at her, it seemed like there were hundreds. Was there?

Elijah's top priority was Katherine, he kept his focus on her movements, killing the werewolves was easy and he could do it without a struggle. He often found himself hitting away attackers of Katherine, but he was too fast and too strong to ever be overpowered by any of them.

It felt as though they had been fighting for a long time, more and more werewolves appeared and the army was endless. Katherine and Elijah had only successfully killed a minority of them; the others were simply knocked out and as more time passed, the weaker they began to felt.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Elijah saw a burst of orange flames and he was momentarily able to pull away his focus of the fight to see that Liz Forbes had caught fire because the sun had risen and filled the warehouse.

"Keep fighting." Elijah yelled to Katherine, who replied with a grunt as her blood stained arms drove through bodies of werewolves.

Elijah ran to Liz and pulled her into the shade of the dark corner of the warehouse and the flames instantly subsided. He would have taken her away then, but they didn't come in a car and the warehouse was surrounded by open air, Liz would burn.

Elijah looked back at the fight and had to make the decision, it was life or death.

Elijah sped to Katherine, grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the warehouse and away from it as fast as possible.

"But Liz-" Katherine looked back to the warehouse as they ran.

"Nothing will happen to her." Elijah tried to comfort her. "There were hundreds, Katherine, I don't know how Tyler has assembled this army but it's too many to take on as us two."

After a few moments of running, they reached a forest and then ran into it; shielded by the covers of the trees.

"Stop. Stop." Elijah said and pulled Katherine back so they were standing opposite each other. "Are you injured?"

"I don't think so." Katherine croaked, looking over her body. Her arms were covered in blood but she felt fine.

Elijah reached up his hands and began to inspect her body, her neck and chest was fine and he ran his hands down her arms, but as he did, Katherine suddenly jolted back and seethed.

Katherine looked down at her arms that's when she noticed, camouflaged from the blood, a werewolf bite oh her right forearm.

"Oh god." Katherine breathed.

Elijah's eyes widened when he realised what it was.

"You were bitten." Elijah said warily. "But I was looking after you, I never saw you have any of them close to you!"

_Oh. _Elijah realised. _When you went to save Liz, you left her. _

"Klaus is coming, he can save you." Elijah walked up to her and lifted her chin with one of his hands so she would look into his eyes.

"Will he?" Katherine asked as though she already knew the answer.

* * *

As the road sped under the wheels of Klaus's car, the morning sun began to rise of the horizon and Caroline saw the skyline of New Orleans appearing faintly ahead of them. Another day. Another day. She repeated to herself.

She sat praying with every ounce of her body that Elijah had saved her mother. She couldn't bear another day not knowing if her mother was living or not.

She looked down at the car central and was surprised to find out the date. Everything that had happened in the past few weeks was so surreal that she had lost track of time.

_September 6__th__, 2012 _

"It's my birthday in four days." Caroline smiled and looked over to Klaus.

"I know." Klaus chuckled.

"I don't even remember last birthday, and that was my eighteenth!" Caroline pursed her lips.

"No, I can't imagine you would." Klaus smirked.

"Oh?" Caroline laughed. "Well that's just great! I can't even remember my eighteenth birthday."

"We can make up for it." Klaus smiled.

"I thought you didn't like birthdays." Caroline looked over to him, admiring his eyes as he drove.

"Well it's not that I don't like them, I just don't have one." Klaus laughed.

"That's just sad." Caroline said pouting. "You can have mine too. We'll share it."

Klaus smiled and looked over to Caroline, she was sitting in the chair, her smile beaming up to him.

"This enthrallment with birthdays will wear off, Caroline." Klaus chuckled.

"Well, until it does I would like to celebrate it with you." Caroline said sincerely.

"If you insist. We'll do something September tenth, I promise." Klaus swore.


	17. Chapter 17

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* * *

Klaus and Caroline pulled up to Elijah's mansion, it was only just ending on seven in the early morning.

"Woah." Caroline breathed.

The building was all white and it had columns stretching from the earth to the top floor of it. The windows were all laced with a black, metal balcony and a grand staircase swept itself to the front door of the mansion.

_If only I could show Caroline the houses I have around the world. _Klaus chuckled to himself. _This is a dollhouse in comparison. _

"What's funny?" Caroline smiled at Klaus, hearing his laughter.

"Nothing." Klaus smirked back at her, reaching for her hand and guiding her up the stairs.

Elijah immediately opened the door before they had even reached it.

"Welcome, Caroline." Elijah politely said, placing a hand at her back and pushing her inside.

As Caroline walked ahead and into the house, Elijah glanced back at Klaus and shook his head, a silent word of failure, he didn't save Liz. He _couldn't _save Liz.

Once Elijah and Klaus had joined Caroline, who stood awkwardly in the empty space below the staircase, she eagerly turned to Elijah.

"So?" Caroline's eyes suddenly turned distressed.

_Elijah hasn't talked about Mum yet. Why hasn't he talked about mum yet? Something is wrong. Something is very very wrong. _Caroline shook a little.

Elijah didn't reply.

"So!?" Caroline faked a laugh. Liz had to be safe, she's fine. "So where's Mum?"

"She's fine." Elijah tried to comfort her and Klaus pulled Caroline into him, rubbing his thumb gently over her hand. "I couldn't get her out of the warehouse, but she's okay. There was a whole army of wolves, Caroline. I could have gotten her out of there if it wasn't for the amount of people I was up against. I'm sorry, Caroline."

"Please don't apologise." Caroline held tightly onto Klaus's hand, looking back at Elijah.

"How many are there?" Klaus spoke roughly.

"Hundreds. We tried to fight them off, but we'll need more people to take them on." Elijah replied.

"We?" Klaus cocked his head to the side. "Are Rebekah and Kol here?"

"No." Elijah's lip slightly twitched to the side, and if it was anybody besides Klaus speaking to him, they wouldn't have noticed.

"Who was it?" Klaus was serious, he knew Elijah was guilty of something.

"Elijah?" A weary woman's voice came from upstairs.

"Who's that?" Caroline asked, looking to Elijah.

Elijah didn't reply and Klaus only stared back at him, slightly narrowing his eyes.

"Yes, brother. Who is that?" Klaus persisted.

"Eli-" The woman's voice came again from the top of the stairs, but she stopped speaking once she realised who was in the house.

It was Katherine.

Klaus let go of Caroline's hand and instantly tensed.

"What is she doing here?! I thought you were going to take care of her!" Klaus growled, turning to yell in Elijah's face.

"I told you that I was discussing peace treaties with her." Elijah said quietly, trying to not further anger the enraged Klaus.

"Originals don't make _peace treaties_ I had thought that you meant you were going to be done with her!" Klaus yelled.

Caroline stood still and stared at Elijah and Klaus, her own emotions brewing in her conscious. She glanced up at Katherine, a frail looking young girl, innocent. But suddenly, as she stared at Katherine, she was overcome with rage.

"She tried to kill us." Caroline said quietly at first, not being heard by the originals or Katherine. _How could this manipulative woman be frail? It's an act. Katherine's whole life has to be an act! She'll keep on manipulating… she'll keep on hurting Klaus. She'll keep on trying to betray and kill Klaus. My Klaus. _"She tried to kill us!" Caroline now yelled, her darker side shining through.

Klaus and Elijah fell silent from their fighting and Klaus smirked a little at the strong Caroline he hadn't seen in a while.

Caroline turned to Elijah.

"She shouldn't be alive!" Caroline yelled. "She's tried to kill us all. She tried to kill me! If it wasn't for the vampire blood in my system I would be dead! She didn't mean for me to stay alive!"

Klaus suddenly clenched his jaw. He had forgotten about Katherine trying to kill Caroline, and nearly succeeding. And to think, that there was a chance Caroline wouldn't be here with him… it wasn't something he wanted to think about.

"Kill. Her." Klaus ordered Elijah.

Elijah stood his ground and clenched his jaw.

"I can't do that." Elijah replied calmly.

Klaus looked at Elijah, and turned to Katherine.

"Why not?" Klaus spoke slowly and roughly.

"Because I think I'm in love with her." Elijah said, but he looked up to Katherine as he said it and a small smile flashed across her lips as she looked back.

"You are _in love _with her?!" Klaus took a step closer to Elijah, he eyes were so angry they were nearly burning.

"Yes. I believe I am." Elijah came to the realization himself and looked longingly at Katherine.

"She's an enemy to the family, Elijah. Family above all else." Klaus quoted the mantra they had both lived by all their lives and Elijah sighed as he heard it.

Caroline looked up at Katherine again, the anger inside her subduing. She was surprised at herself and a little ashamed of her previous outburst, she never usually was so dark and passionate… she didn't know if it was a good or bad thing.

_You can't let your anger get the better of you. _Caroline told herself as she looked up to the scared looking Katherine. _Klaus is enough anger for the both of you. Yes, your dark side is important, but you can't encourage his violence. _

Caroline then looked back at Elijah and studied his face. He was upset, but it was only barely noticeable across his composed face. Pity started to rise up in Caroline as she looked at this star-crossed lovers before her… they couldn't be together and they couldn't be apart.

Finally, her gaze landed on Klaus. She could see how confused he was. He was trying to be strong and powerful but she saw in his eyes a confusion and sadness as he stared back at Elijah.

_How could Elijah love Katherine?_

_They had already been through this with Tatiana, so was this just trying to compensate for her, or was it real?_

_But why, out of all the women he could possible have, did it have to the one woman he had sworn to torture her whole life? _Klaus asked himself.

"Niklaus. If you truly love me, and you truly put family above all else, then shouldn't you put their needs above all else too?" Elijah asked, reaching out to touch Klaus's shoulder. "Please, brother, I love her. And I need your blessing."

Klaus didn't say a thing and stormed out of the house, he didn't look back to Caroline, Elijah or Katherine and he slammed the door behind him. Without even noticing that Katherine was a little hunched over, pale and skinny, with a bright red and swollen werewolf bite on her arm.

* * *

Klaus was fuming and pacing outside the front of the house, the air was fresh and the sun was still only just above the horizon, basking the mansion in a soft pink glow. After a few laps of pacing, he heard the front door open and close quietly, and then Caroline was at his side. She too was still oblivious to the fact that Katherine was already dying, without the need of any action by Elijah or Klaus himself.

Caroline didn't say anything and only took one of his hands in her own and started to walk away from the house, to a nice secluded bench in a flower-filled garden which looked over the horizon and to the sun.

"I'm sorry." Caroline said quietly as they both stared at the horizon.

Caroline didn't really know why she was apologizing, but she felt it needed to be said.

"Am I being too harsh to Elijah?" Klaus said quietly, turning to Caroline.

"I don't know… I got carried away… earlier. I don't know why I got so angry." Caroline said back to him.

"Katherine has always been so manipulative, so… incapable of love." Klaus growled. "Elijah deserves better than her."

"There's really nothing you can do." Caroline frowned. "You should give them a chance. I should give her a chance…. We've all done horrible things in our lives, Nik. You're not an exception, I'm not an excpetion and Katherine isn't an exception. Doesn't that tell us that we're all equal?"

* * *

Elijah ran to Katherine and inspected her wound. It was already flaring and becoming black… how long would she last?

"I'm so sorry." Elijah whispered and pulled her into a hug, breathing in her scent.

"It's all a bit ironic isn't it?" Katherine smiled. "I helped you so that I could free myself from Klaus, yet here I am again, asking for favours, once again in his debt."

"He doesn't know about the bite. Perhaps when I tell him he will act rationally." Elijah hoped.

"Or perhaps it will solve all his problems." Katherine pulled back and ran a hand across Elijah's face, talking quietly. "You said you loved me?"

Elijah tensed a little, he had forgotten he said that.

"Come on! I've heard you say it already!" Katherine laughed, but tears were dwelling in her eyes.

"I love you." Elijah whispered.

"I love you too." Katherine replied, smiling.

She lifted herself up so she could softly kiss his lips, a tear dragging down her left cheek.

Suddenly the door slammed open and Elijah and Katherine turned to see the still fuming Klaus, followed by a content looking Caroline.

"I'll leave you to your own business. But you'll get no blessing from me." Klaus growled. "We have to focus on more important matters. Say… the army that's coming to kill us?!"

"We've got to get more people to help us." Caroline chimed in. "You said yourself we can't taken them on alone, so we need back ups!"

Caroline marched up to Elijah and Katherine on the stairs as they were silent, wanting to get them involved.

"Seriously? There has to be someone here who has contacts." Caroline sighed. "Enough with the family matters and family tension! Let's figure this out."

Caroline grabbed Elijah's hand and Katherine's hand in her own started to quickly pull them down the stairs so that they could discuss in the living room, but Katherine screeched as soon as she pulled.

Caroline turned around, confused, to see a black and red swollen bite mark on her arm.

_Oh. She's bitten. _Caroline turned to look at Klaus, he had noticed too.

And yet…

He didn't seem to care.

* * *

Liz awoke once more in the mansion, but cried a horrified scream when she saw the dead bodies surrounding her. Bodies she didn't recognize, but had left a pool of blood on the once grey concrete floor.

Suddenly, an overpowering and intense feeling of hunger and thirst and every emotion she once knew as a human peaked inside her, she _had_ to drink the blood. There was no way of denying it, no way of suppressing it, she couldn't stop herself.

A trail of blood slowly trickled towards her and she suddenly felt fangs appear in her mouth, while her eyes began to sting and she felt her veins feel as though they were going to pop.

She reached a shaking hand towards the blood and dipped it into the blood, bringing the red hand back to her mouth and slowly at first, lick it off her hand.

She was disgusting herself and yet she couldn't stop.

Body upon body surrounded her and nothing was stopping her from draining each and every one.

The transition was complete.


	18. Chapter 18

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* * *

Liz tried unsuccessfully to wipe the blood off her hands, she was uncontrollably shaking and crying and she had pulled her knees up to her chest, in fetal position. She was surrounded by bodies and the worst part was that some of them weren't even dead yet. She had fed from so many of them, she was out of her own control. Agonizing groans were frequently sounding in the warehouse and Liz tried to block them out by her own panicked screaming – but it didn't work.

Liz cowered into her temporary home; the dark, shadowed corner of the warehouse. The blood on her hands had dried into a darker, red and brown color and it cracked if she tried to move her hands. Despite her desperate rubbing and scratching over her hands, she couldn't get any of the blood away.

"Come on!" Liz screamed, becoming more frantic.

The moans continued, some bodies even tried to move, but Liz found herself unable to get close to any of the people now… the sun had well and truly filled the warehouse except for her corner. She was forced to spend the day surrounded by death and blood, with no way out and no idea how to be a vampire.

* * *

Caroline's head was a mess. She had been told that they couldn't take on Tyler and his followers alone. She had been told that they needed to find help. But who would be willing to help? Who would be on _their _side?! Not only did she have to think of people to recruit, but she now needed time to physically round them up. But did she have time!? There was no evidence to say that Tyler had any intention of killing her mother, he was only using her as bait… but could Caroline really leave her mother for another day? - Another day of vampirism that her mother had no idea how to deal with? A burden of guilt began to way upon Caroline, how could she have left Liz for so long already? How could she have so easily let this happen to her and now been so lazy in dealing with it? Those days that seemed so short and indifferent had now accumulated into weeks of not seeing mother. _Weeks. _Liz probably thought she couldn't care less about her, and Caroline couldn't blame her.

"Caroline?" Klaus's voice came back into Caroline's consciousness. She had been unaware he was speaking to her. "Do you agree?"

"What?" Caroline asked guiltily. "I'm sorry, I haven't been listening."

Klaus sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"Witches, Caroline." Klaus was agitated. "I have been talking with Kol on the phone. As you may know, he holds witches in very high esteem and despite my natural distaste for them, he has persuaded me into believing they are our only option. Perhaps with their alliance we can been done with this."

"Don't most of the witches hate you?" Caroline asked, now listening attentively.

"Yes, I can imagine it will be very difficult to get them on our side. However, I am sure that they don't want a pack of werewolves and hybrids roaming around New Orleans as much as we don't and therefore I am sure some negotiations may help." Klaus answered.

"Are Kol and Rebekah coming?" Caroline glanced down to her watch, it was just past ten in the morning.

"Yes, they should be here later tonight." Klaus stood up to leave.

"Wait." Caroline called after him.

Klaus stopped and dropped his head slightly, sighing.

Caroline could tell he was upset… really upset. He didn't know whether to save Katherine. It would be better to let her die now to prevent her from threatening them in the future. But he knew he couldn't do that to his brother, Elijah, Klaus knew he loved her. Klaus noticed the way Elijah looked at Katherine even when she wasn't looking back, as if he was constantly committing her to his memory. He noticed the way that he touched her skin with the most gentle and soft movements as though she was the most precious china in the world. Klaus wished he hadn't have noticed, why couldn't he just be oblivious? It would make letting Katherine die so much easier.

Caroline stood up and simply walked to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, breathing in his scent.

"What are you doing?" Klaus sighed in exasperation.

_He must have been really annoyed. _

"Nothing." Caroline chuckled.

Klaus reached behind his back and unclasped Caroline's hold and began to walk away, but Caroline grabbed his shirt and he stopped.

"Klaus." Caroline was firm. "You know what the right thing to do is. If you could only talk to Kath–"

"I think you should meet with Marcel." Klaus cut Caroline off.

"What?" Caroline was shocked.

"Well the last thing I want to do is talk to him myself, but he could get the witches to work with us. In fact, I _know_ he could get the witches to work for us. So, I figure, he doesn't know you exist, and perhaps we could use that to out advantage." Klaus slightly smirked.

"Why weren't we doing that in the first place?" Caroline thought it was perfect.

"If you are willing and able, we will now." Klaus looked like he was going to laugh.

* * *

Caroline assessed herself in the mirror. She had borrowed some of Rebekah's clothes… _again. _It seemed that every place she had stayed, Rebekah had her own closet there. She was wearing tight, black jeans, black lace up, knee-high boots and a red blouse with a plunging neckline.

_What was she thinking?_

Klaus and her had both agreed in a strange and uncomfortable conversation that she was pretty much going to try and seduce Marcel, then ask about the witches. She was going to pretend she was simply a messenger for 'the originals,' and that he had every right to deny their requests.

Klaus walked into the room as Caroline was adjusting her shoes.

He traced his eyes up and down her outfit, but refused to compliment her, he was still unsure about letting her flirt with Marcel.

"Marcel is currently in a bar, I'll show you it when I drive you." Klaus announced.

"A bar?!" Caroline was shocked. "But it's only midday."

"I've seen earlier." Klaus mumbled and walked back out of the room. "Let's go."

* * *

Katherine sat out in the sun again on the balcony of the house, only this time she wasn't basking in her paradise, she was trying to face the probable inevitability of death. She had always known that her death would have something to do with Klaus, but she had never imagine she would be so young and so… full… of potential life when the time came.

Elijah had… where did Elijah go? Katherine didn't know, she was starting to lose consciousness often and Elijah had probably told her then. No doubt it would have something to do with frantically trying to get something for her, _anything_. So here Katherine was, alone in the house, trying to grasp on to the small fractures of life she still had lingering in her, while her infection slowly began to take over.

"Caroline's with Marcel now." Katherine heard Klaus's voice boom through the downstairs area of the house with the front door slamming behind him. He had obviously been expecting Elijah to be home.

"Hello?" His voice sounded again.

Katherine could hear him walking up the stairs, his heavy boots thundering against the marble floors, and then stopping at the top of the staircase. She knew he had seen her and suddenly she felt like a deer being hunted by a lion. She couldn't move out of her seat, but how she wanted to! Panic started to take over; she couldn't hear a single sound he was making and he could jump out at her at any moment. How low could he have fallen, to murder an already dying being? To put it out of it's misery? But Katherine wasn't miserable, she was happy. _For once in her life she was happy. _

Katherine took one deep breath, this was happening, Klaus was going to kill her. She slowly leant her head back and closed her eyes, accepting her inevitable fate.

"How do you feel?" Klaus's soft voice came from behind her, he was leaning against the door, and looking at Katherine in an expression which was nearly agony.

"Scared." Katherine's voice broke a little.

"Of what?" Klaus nearly whispered that, and he had furrowed his brows.

Katherine paused and sighed in a silent laugh.

"Death." Katherine's voice was breathy and coarse. "No matter _how _long we can live for, we have to die eventually, and… I only realized that today."

Klaus was silent and when Katherine turned her heavy head, she saw a hint of empathy in his eyes.

"I keep telling myself that I don't deserve to die. That I'm still _young_. Still worthy of a full life. But I know now, I don't have the right." Katherine sounded honest, for once. "I've lived for more than I deserve, and I took it all for granted."

Katherine paused once more to catch her breath.

"I didn't think my life would be this way. It was never supposed to be this way." Katherine spoke again, closing her eyes.

"You had been given a gift." Klaus sounded confused. "Being a vampire is about living _a thousand human lives_ and doing a thousand different things."

"I took it for granted." Katherine replied. "After hundreds of years, I look back and I don't see anything. All I see is manipulating people, using men, running from others. I've done less in my life than a human would."

Klaus looked down at the ground and ran one of his hands through his hair.

"And now I don't get a chance to change it." Katherine softly added at the end.

Klaus clenched his jaw and walked up to her so he was closer.

"Maybe you will." Klaus spoke intensely. "We've all done horrible things in our lives, Katherine. I'm not an exception. I'd like to think that in a way that brings us down to the same level and in some way we're equal. But _how_ can I know whether you are being truthful? _How _do I know whether this is just another fo your games?"

"You can't." Katherine shook her head. "But maybe you'll just have to _trust_ me."

_Trust?! She's asking me to trust her? After everything she did to me, after everything I did to her. _Klaus thought to himself.

"If you can't trust me, I know you can trust Elijah. I know you wish that he wasn't in love with me, sometimes I wish it too; Of course he'd be better off without me. But love happens. This happened. Elijah trusts me and perhaps, through him, you can learn to trust me too." Katherine smiled.

_Family above all else. _

Klaus sighed and pulled up his sleeve, biting into his arm and lowering it down to Katherine.

"Don't make me regret this. Drink." Klaus growled, as Katherine reached forward, hope returning to her eyes.

"Thank you." Katherine was genuine as she took hold of his arm and lowered it slowly to her mouth.

* * *

Marcel sat silently on a bar stool, drinking from a beer and watching the bustling street outside. He had been feeling guilty about what he had done to Klaus. But he wasn't his submissive anymore; he was king. He had a whole city under his reign and anyone and everyone was at his disposal. He wasn't proud of it, but now wasn't the time to become weak. Klaus's return only meant that he had to become stronger.

"Marcel?" A smooth voice came from behind him, and Marcel turned to see a beautiful blonde woman, her eyes darting into his.

"Hello, gorgeous." Marcel flashed a smile to her, and ran his eyes up and down her incredible body.

Caroline reached a hand out to shake Marcel's hand, but he lifted it to his mouth and planted a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

_Ew. _Caroline had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes.

"Caroline. Nice to meet you." Caroline feigned to be flirty.

"Very nice, indeed." Marcel elongated his words, smirking at Caroline.

_God, he's disgusting. _Caroline thought, smiling back at him.

"I have a proposal for you." Caroline lowered her voice, so it was slightly huskier, trying her best to stay in his good books.

"Go on." Marcel's eyes lit up.

"Well, before I go on. I should probably tell you who I'm working for." Caroline pretended to look guilty and bit her lip, flashing puppy eyes up to Marcel.

"Ahh, you're controlled by somebody." The light in Marcel's eyes slightly faded.

_Flirt, Caroline, before he loses interest. _

"Not really." Caroline slightly leant forward. "I like to be in control"

_Oh my god, Caroline, where are these stupid pick up lines coming from. _Caroline scolded herself.

"Interesting." Marcel suddenly looked very intrigued once more.

_Well… at least it seems to be working._ Caroline was on the verge of laughing.

"I work for the originals. At least, I'm on their side." Caroline began. "I'd be _really_… appreciative… if you were on my side too."

Marcel dropped his smile, he was in business mode.

"I know you understand the relationship I have with Klaus." Marcel was serious. "So why would you want my help?"

"We want the witches." Caroline got straight to the point. "We know you can control them and only with the witches are we able to defeat our enemy."

"Why should I?" Marcel wasn't easily controlled. "What will I get out of it?"

Klaus had warned Caroline that Marcel was going to ask this question, but Caroline was less than keen to act out what Klaus had told her to say in response.

Caroline wanted to cringe, but she leant forward and whispered in Marcel's ear-

"I can think of a few things."

Marcel smirked and lifted a hand to hold behind Caroline's back, so she couldn't pull away.

_Shit._ Caroline swallowed.

"Look forward to it." Marcel growled slightly. "In two hours, come back to this street and wait outside, I'll have a witch meet you."

* * *

Caroline returned to the mansion and walked inside to find a healthy looking Katherine sitting with an ecstatic Elijah, holding each other's hands and laughing.

"Where's Klaus?" Caroline smiled; she was overcome with joy. She couldn't believe Klaus had saved Katherine; she had obviously underestimated his compassion.

"Outside the back." Katherine smiled back at her.

Caroline felt as though she had been gone for years, not just an hour or so.

She began walking swiftly to the back door and once she reached it, ran outside to Klaus who was sitting, sketching in his sketchpad on a garden chair.

She ran up to him while he stood up, and jumped into his waiting arms.

"I have never loved you as much as I do now." Caroline said, nuzzling her head into his shoulder. "You were even more kindhearted than I would have been."

"How did things go with Marcel?" Klaus asked as he lowered Caroline slowly to the ground.

"I'm meeting with a witch in two hours or so." Caroline smirked.

"Nicely done." Klaus narrowed his eyes. "How did you go about that?"

Caroline simply bit her lip and winked at Klaus, backing away.

Klaus jokingly growled and pulled her back into him.

"Don't get any ideas, Caroline." Klaus snarled with smiling. "You're mine."

_Yours. _Caroline breathed.

Klaus pushed Caroline's lower back so there was no space between them and leant down to meet his lips with hers.

Caroline smiled under the kiss and when she pulled back, she walked over to Klaus's sketchpad.

"They're not any good." Klaus looked a little embarrassed.

"Hey!" Caroline interjected. "Don't say that, because going off of what I've seen before, they're very good."

Caroline looked at the sketch Klaus had just been drawing.

_It was her. _

Caroline looked down at herself. He had drawn her when she was sleeping and Klaus had drawn in every fine detail of her face. The faint freckles that spread over her nose, the sharp wings of her eyes and even the slight dimple she had when she smiled. But she looked so at peace, so happy.

"You made me look so beautiful." Caroline smiled back at Klaus who held his fist up to his mouth.

"I didn't make-" Klaus was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. "That will be Rebekah and Kol." Klaus and Caroline returned inside the house and saw Elijah ahead of them open the grand front door, but was not met with Kol or Rebekah.

In fact, he wasn't met with anyone. Caroline could see Elijah bend down and pick up a black envelope.

This didn't look good.

Caroline reached Elijah and stood beside him as he opened the envelope.

"An invitation." Elijah announced. He unfolded the letter and read aloud. "Niklaus Mikaelson and friends, you are hereby invited to a dinner hosted by Tyler Lockwood on the 6th of September."

Everyone fell quiet.

"We need the witches by tonight." Klaus said gravely.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey Guys!**  
**Here is 19! **  
**Enjoy! **  
**p.s. If you haven't already guessed, we're entering the peak of the story and therefore, I am sorry to say that there won't be very many chapters left. **  
**So please leave reviews!**  
**Thankya!**

* * *

Caroline's mind flashed back to her car ride with Klaus that morning. She had read the 6th of September on the screen of the car's computer.

_Had it really only been one day? _

_One day in New Orleans?_

So much had already happened, and it wasn't close to being finished.

Elijah continued to read the letter; it was something about it being a dinner dance, they needed to dress for the occasion and that it was going to be only slightly less than huge.

"His whole army will be there." Katherine began.

"Caroline is going to get the witches, we won't be outnumbered." Klaus announced.

"How are we going to hide all these witches?" Katherine asked, turning to Klaus. "Last time I checked we weren't allowed any plus ones."

"There will be enough people there for them to blend in." Caroline retorted.

"Or we don't use them up until the last minute." Elijah interrupted. "If we bring them in immediately then Lockwood will know we're armed."

"So we enter there without any backup while the witches hide in the bushes?" Caroline scowled. "What if they don't step in the moment in which we need them to?"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take. If Tyler figures out that we've brought witches before we have the upper hand, then it's already lost." Elijah spoke calmly. "We enter unarmed; they won't see it coming."

"They don't trust us either way. Just because we supposedly don't have any weapons, doesn't mean they will be any less harsh." Caroline spoke.

"At least they won't know _what_ we have." Elijah replied.

At that moment, Rebekah and Kol came barging through the front door, the same excited smirk plastered on their face.

"What'd we miss?" Kol smirked, his eyes narrowing.

* * *

After explaining the events of the day and future of the night, Elijah pulled Katherine aside, and they stood in his bedroom.

It was inexplicably neat. Everything was incredibly ordered and clean, the majority of the room was black; the bed sheets, the floor and the rest of the room was themed with either dark grey, black or silver décor.

"Please sit." Elijah motioned Katherine to a black velvet chair against a wall of the room and he sat down beside her as she did.

Katherine knew something was… tense. He didn't have his usual glint in his eyes when he looked at her. What could have gone wrong? She was just saved by Klaus, what was he worried about?

"I don't know how to say this." Elijah began, and Katherine sat up straighter, slightly leaning forward into him. "You know I will do anything in my power to be with you. Anything."

"Yes…" Katherine croaked.

"Part of keeping you as mine, is doing things that perhaps you wouldn't want me to do." Elijah looked down.

"What are you talking about?" Katherine narrowed her eyes.

"I don't want you to fight tonight." Elijah looked up and stared into her eyes as he said it.

Katherine's breath hitched.

Something told her that this wasn't about her safety.

"Why?" Katherine lowered her voice menacingly.

"I don't want you getting bitten again." Elijah flashed his eyes to the left as he said it.

"You're lying." Katherine furrowed her brows. "Why can't I fight?"

"How can I trust you?" Elijah growled.

Katherine tensed and looked down, clenching her jaw.

"After all you've done with these werewolves. How can I trust you?" Elijah spoke again, as if he was in shock.

"Elijah, I love you." Katherine whispered. "I couldn't betray you"

"You already did once." Elijah spoke quietly back, he was upset. "I know you don't mean to you, Katherine. I know it's hard for you to trust people. But I can't have you switching sides tonight, if we start to fail."

"I would never do that." Katherine had tears forming in her eyes. Not because she was hurt at what Elijah had said, but because she knew it all to be true.

"How can I know?" Elijah was genuinely asking.

"Because you know I'm here to stay with you! I can't imagine a life without you. Isn't that enough? Isn't that enough proof to show you that I am forever on your side?" Katherine said in exasperation.

"I don't know." Elijah mumbled.

"Then you'll have to let me show you." Katherine persisted. "Let me join you tonight."

"Tonight is too much of a risk already." Elijah stated.

"You can't make me stay here." Katherine affirmed, shaking her head. "Elijah, you can't."

Elijah stayed silent.

"I'll come anyway." Katherine stood up to leave. "Even if you tell me not to, I'll come anyway."

Elijah didn't try to stop her, but he only sighed and watched Katherine angrily stalk out of the room.

* * *

"I'm not sure about this." Rebekah looked tense.

"Look, we've already been through pretty much every alternative." Caroline replied. "I don't see how there could be any other way of beating these people!"

Rebekah had agreed to accompany Caroline and Klaus to go meet with the witches. In fact, Caroline had more asked her to. They hadn't seen each other in a while, and surprisingly, Caroline had missed having her around.

Rebekah didn't like their plan, like everybody, she didn't trust the witches and she believed they would not follow through, even if they did agree to helping the originals.

"We're going to do this, no matter how sure you are about it, Rebekah." Klaus said as he walked in.

Rebekah scowled and made a face at him.

"Are we going?" Caroline asked Klaus.

"Yes" He replied.

* * *

"You must be Caroline." A woman with long black hair said as she approached the trio, looking at Caroline.

"Yes, I am. This is-" Caroline replied.

"I know who they are." The woman interrupted, narrowing her eyes at the originals.

"Marcel said that you could help us." Caroline continued.

"Marcel will force us to do whatever he pleases." The woman spat at Caroline.

"All the better then." Rebekah smiled at the woman threateningly.

"We want you to help us-" Caroline started.

"I know what you want us to do." The woman interrupted again.

"Will it work?" Klaus finally chimed in, becoming impatient at the length of the conversation already.

"It could. Why do you need us anyway? I thought the originals were more than competent of looking after themselves." The woman snarled.

"Many hands make light work." Rebekah said to her.

"Not if our hands are chained." The woman replied, scowling.

Caroline cocked her head unconsciously to the side, unbeknownst to her, mimicking Klaus.

"But if Marcel agrees to help us, he can't stop you from doing magic." Caroline said.

"Yes, he can." Klaus sighed, rubbing his temples with his hand.

"It's worth the try." Rebekah said, suddenly changing her views on this plan.

"We are the enemies of people like you." The witch said. "We do not value anything you do. Why shouldn't we kill you when we have the chance?"

Caroline tensed.

"Because you value decency." Klaus said. "And these werewolves have killed decency. To try and weaken us, they have killed the mother of one of us and made her a vampire."

The witch straightened up.

"True, we have been enemies all of our existence, but for just one night, perhaps you can acknowledge that we are in need of your help. And perhaps that will be enough." Klaus continued.

The witch stayed silent for a while, obviously thinking about her decision.

"I can get all of us to help you." She finally said.

"We only want to use your power when we absolutely need to." Caroline said, relaxing.

"You must hide around the venue, waiting for our signal. At that point we need you to stun the werewolves and hybrids so we can attack." Klaus told her the plan.

"We will do that." The witched nodded. "My name is Fahra."

Fahra reached out her hand to them and shook each of their hands.

"Alliances for the night." Rebekah said, as she shook Fahra's hand.

"Alliances for the night." Fahra repeated back to her.

* * *

Sunset.

It was 6 pm, the dinner dance started at 7 pm.

Caroline, Katherine and Rebekah all were in the upstairs lounge of the mansion, getting ready for the night.

"You're wearing that dress right?" Rebekah turned to Caroline.

"What dress?" Caroline asked as she was pinning up her hair into a messy bun with a side braid. She couldn't stop thinking about Klaus's training. Everything he had trained her for will be needed in only a few hours.

Except this time she would actually be killed. She didn't get any second chances.

What if she failed? What if she put other people in danger by her own mistakes?

"You're joking." Rebekah sighed, snapping Caroline out of her thoughts. "_The _dress, Caroline!"

Suddenly Caroline remembered, the black lace dress Rebekah had bought for her the other week.

_That was so long ago_, Caroline thought to herself.

"Yes, I'll wear the dress." Caroline smiled half-heartedly.

"Good." Rebekah smiled, going back to creating a dark smoky eye on her eyelids.

Katherine had already dress herself into a dark red, tight fitting dress, with a thick black belt and she was now angrily pacing up and down the length of the hall, her high heels tapping loudly against the marble.

"Whatever is the matter?" Rebekah sighed, turning to see Katherine.

"Your brother is the matter." Katherine huffed.

"What'd he do?" Caroline asked.

"He told me that I wasn't allowed to fight tonight." Katherine laughed angrily.

"Ah." Rebekah turned away from her, and back to a mirror that hung on the wall.

"I told him I was coming anyway." Katherine said quietly as Caroline got up to find her dress.

"Of course you did." Rebekah smiled. "That's what I like about you."

Katherine stopped pacing and turned towards Rebekah.

"What'd you say?" She furrowed her brows.

"Don't flatter yourself, Katherine. Just because I like you doesn't mean I want to be your friend." Rebekah said.

Katherine subtly smirked and turned away from Rebekah once more.

_At least one of his siblings likes me. _Katherine smiled.

"I like you." Kol announced loudly, appearing in the room with them. He had read Katherine's thoughts.

"Ew, get out of here!" Rebekah yelled at her brother.

"Get out of my head." Katherine tried to feign anger.

"What? I thought it'd be nice to know." Kol laughed, his eyes turning to slits. "Despite you constantly double crossing us all and trying to kill us on a daily basis, your attitude is quite the one to admire."

"Too bad Klaus doesn't agree." Katherine pursed her lips.

"He probably does, you know. I think he's just a little protective over Elijah." Rebekah smiled warmly at Katherine.

Suddenly Caroline walked in, dressed in her black dress, with Kol letting out a loud wolf whistle.

"And at once, I understand Klaus's infatuation." Kol smirked.

"Ew Kol, stop." Rebekah sighed, getting up to wave her arms in front of him, herding him out of the room once more.

Caroline was slightly taken aback, what was so special about that dress?!

As Caroline sat down to begin her makeup, Rebekah went to get dressed.

After a few moments, she emerged once more.

Rebekah wore a deep blue ball gown, which ruffled around the bottom and wrapped around her chest, it had a dark black, jeweled detail on the top of her chest and a black mesh underskirt.

Caroline looked around the room at the three of them. One in a tight fitting red dress, another in a blue ballgown and herself in a black lace evening gown.

"How in the name of god, are we going to fight in these dresses?" Caroline burst out laughing.

"Well, if worst comes to worst we can just rip them." Rebekah said as if she had done it before.

Katherine gasped in horror. "I'm not ripping this dress."

"Well good luck fighting in that, you can't even walk properly." Caroline chuckled, which was met with a grimace from Katherine.

"Are you all nearly ready?" Katherine changed the subject.

"Nearly." Caroline said as she was touching up the lasts of her makeup; deep red lips, with a gold eye shadow.

* * *

Elijah, Klaus and Kol all stood awkwardly at the bottom of the staircase, waiting for the girls.

"Reunited once more." Elijah mumbled, shrugging his hands into his pocket and looking around the house.

All three of them were wearing black dinner suits, only Klaus had chosen to wear a white waistcoat and white bow tie; as usual.

His hair was slicked back he was leaning against the banister of the staircase, tapping his foot on the ground.

Eventually the three girls appeared at the top of the stairs and started to walk down the.

Klaus took a double take and was instantly taken aback.

She looked beyond beautiful.

He watched the lace dress hug her arms and chest, with the black skirt waving around her, like a cloud of smoke.

She looked so different to her usual bubbly and colorful self; she looked as though she ripped men's hearts out on a daily basis and never even batted an eye.

She looked more fierce, more powerful, than he had seen any other woman look.

Once Caroline reached him, he took one of her hands in his own and pulled her in close to him, his arm holding her waist.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side." Klaus whispered in her ear.

"Honestly, you two can never keep your hands off each other, can you?" Kol smirked as he opened the front door.

"Let's defeat these wolves once and for all." Elijah said as he led Katherine out the door, followed by Rebekah, Kol and lastly Caroline and Klaus.


End file.
